


Scratched

by mandykaysfic



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M, M/M, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-27
Updated: 2014-01-28
Packaged: 2018-01-10 05:26:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1155636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandykaysfic/pseuds/mandykaysfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some relationships were meant to be scratched out of existence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2004 for 'Die J/C, Die'!

“A most successful trading mission, Commander, even without shore leave privileges. We should be able to break orbit at 1600 hours tomorrow.” 

Satisfaction was evident in Captain Janeway’s tone as she and Commander Chakotay left the Shuttlebay. Once in the corridor, he proffered the captain his arm and escorted her to her quarters. 

Lieutenant Paris, who had piloted the shuttle through the ion storms, stayed behind for a few minutes to transfer the logs from the navigation console to the main computer. He also made a list of the damages sustained by the shuttle during the flight. Most was minor, but it would need to be dealt with before the shuttle could be used again. He was tired, even though he’d done nothing for eighteen hours other than hang out round the transport terminal. Some local regulation stated only the equivalent of married or engaged couples were permitted at the Sanctioning Ceremony, where all trade negotiations with the Resna’viaans had to be ratified. Fortunately, the job did not take long and he was soon able to head to his bed.

“Would you like to come in for a drink, Chakotay?” Kathryn asked as she keyed in her security code. 

“Not tonight, but will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?” 

“Yes, of course, especially if you’re cooking.” 

He laughed softly and nodded. 

“My quarters then, at 2100 hours if that’s okay with you?” 

He bent his head and kissed her gently, teasingly at first, then more deeply as she opened her mouth. A few minutes later, they broke apart. Even though they had finally established a personal relationship some months ago, it would not do for the captain and the first officer to be seen making out in the corridor, no matter what time it was. The captain was extremely circumspect regarding all public displays of affection. She looked up into a pair of warm brown eyes. 

“Are you sure you won’t come in for that drink?” 

“Save it for tomorrow, wench!” 

Chakotay gave her bottom a playful slap and pushed her through her open doorway, lifted his hand in a jaunty wave, then turned towards his own quarters. 

Kathryn headed to the replicator and collected a cold drink. Her lips burned and her mouth felt slightly swollen. She pressed the glass onto them, enjoying the relief given by the numbing coolness. The sensation dissipated and she forgot about it as she mentally reviewed the day’s trading. 

Talks had been satisfactory and they had sealed trade deal at the evening banquet, which seemingly every local dignitary had attended. Of course, they had all needed to have several words with the travelers. The evening had begun to pall less than halfway through. Boredom made it hard for Kathryn to keep track of how many courses they’d been offered, and the effort of making scintillating conversation for six hours had given her a headache. She hadn’t even been able to sit next to Chakotay. He had been placed at a separate table. The Prime Resna, seated on her right, was an intense little man with much to say. He had explained that this was the High Sun Season’s Ceremony of Coalescence. It was a sanctioning ceremony where their Gods looked upon a number of fortunates, blessing them in unique ways. Normally, single trade banquets were only half as long, however it had been possible to combine the two, so auspicious, wasn’t it?

Chakotay keyed in his own security code and entered his living area. His lips were burning and he rubbed them absently. His thoughts turned towards a hot shower. He’d been awake for over twenty hours, as had the captain. 

The negotiations with the Resna’viaans had been more tedious than difficult, due to strict protocols and the observation of a multitude of ceremonies. The worst was the hours’ long banquet, where he’d been required to sit at a different table to Kathryn. The First Viaan barely said two words of his own volition, leaving Chakotay to struggle with the conversation, and a meal that had way too many courses. Fortunately at least half of the dishes were vegetarian so he was able partake, or maybe not so fortunately. There had been other occasions when he had been able to prevail upon some of the other senior staff to represent Voyager at various functions, claiming he would be unable to eat the predominately meat dishes, and thereby risk offending the hosts. Lieutenant Paris was useful for this type of substitute. His formal upbringing seemed to have included training in how to eat a variety of often-unpalatable foodstuffs with apparent enjoyment, or at least an absence of outright revulsion. With the exception of leola root anything, Chakotay hastily amended. He had asked one of the Viaan aides to provide Lieutenant Paris with a meal since he was not permitted to be present at the banquet.

~

Later the next evening… 

 

“That was superb, Chakotay. I always enjoy your cooking.” 

“Thank-you. Coffee?” 

“Silly question. Yes please.” 

Chakotay collected two coffees from the replicator. Kathryn inhaled deeply and an expression of pure bliss crossed her features. 

“Mmm. Hazelnut.” 

Chakotay smiled indulgently. He loved to see her like this. A favorite piece of music began and he stood and held out his hand. 

“Dance?” 

She placed her hand in his and rose gracefully. They moved to an empty space and she laid her head on his chest as they moved together. They swayed in time to the music for a few moments, but the insistent beat of the salsa drove them to move with more deliberation and pizzazz. Kathryn loved to dance, and not just the ballet she’d learned as a girl. 

As the music segued into something slower, they resumed their swaying. Chakotay nuzzled her hair. He tilted her face to his and began kissing her. She tasted faintly of the hazelnut coffee she’d drunk. The movement of gently caressing hands became firmer and more deliberate, tongues thrust more urgently, hips ground more suggestively. They moved into Chakotay’s bedroom… 

 

~

 

The commander had the Bridge the next morning. The captain had retired to her Ready Room shortly after the beginning of the shift, saying that as it was so quiet she’d work on reports. He tried to find a comfortable position in which to sit. 

Chakotay hadn’t had much sleep last night. It was early in the morning when Kathryn finally returned to her own quarters. He’d woken a short time later with lips that felt swollen and on fire. The burning sensation extended along both sides of his jaw and to a lesser extent around his temples and eyelids. Other areas of his body burned as well, and he’d eventually dragged himself out of bed to look in the mirror. There was some slight redness and swelling around his mouth, but he couldn’t see any other visible changes. 

He brushed his teeth again and noticed that the cold water seemed to ease the sensation in and around his mouth. He grimaced wryly. Cold showers were supposed to have become a thing of the past since he’d been in a relationship with Kathryn, but as he couldn’t sleep with the burning around his face, hands, chest, belly and groin, a cold shower it would have to be. He hopefully tried the sonic shower first, but it didn’t seem to make much difference, whereas the colder temperature of the water definitely did. While standing under the cascading water, he considered his afflicted areas. He decided Kathryn must have used a new perfume or something that had caused an allergic response. With relief, he decided it was not anything he need consult the Doctor about, as the cold shower finally achieved its function and the burning disappeared. He had then meditated for a while having decided it was not worth going back to bed. 

In her Ready Room Kathryn took the opportunity to indulge in forty winks. She’d woken before her alarm sounded, with a slight headache and itchy eyes. Her nose and mouth burned and as she’d raised one hand to brush the hair out of her eyes, she’d became aware her palms also burned. She’d taken herself into the bathroom to consult the mirror. Peering blearily at her reflection, she saw swollen lips and reddening of the lower half of her face. A craving for caffeine had overwhelmed her awareness of the burning and itching of other areas of her body, but the mirror showed her breasts to be pink and puffy as well. The itch in her nipples had become intolerable, so she showered quickly. When all the itches had diminished, she stepped out of the shower. 

Wrapping herself in a large fluffy towel, she headed for the replicator, calling first for coffee and then a soothing gel. She’d never had a problem with beard rash from Chakotay before, but she supposed there was always a first time. There was no need to consult the Doctor about this. If it happened again, she’d talk to Chakotay about it. She applied the gel to all of the afflicted areas, which served its purpose and relieved the itch and burning. The swelling and redness of her face, breasts and hands had dissipated with the shower. Satisfied she looked as usual, she’d elected to sit quietly and read until her alarm sounded. 

~

The next day the commander stayed back at the end of the staff briefing.

“Shall I see you at Sandrine’s tonight? I’ve been seconded to Lieutenant Paris’ latest pool tournament.” 

“Do you need a cheer squad?” Kathryn’s tone was sympathetic. The results of the lieutenant’s pool tournaments were usually a foregone conclusion, and she knew Chakotay would be knocked out early on. She couldn’t remember the last time he’d played pool.

“A little support would be nice. Besides, you need the break. You’ve been working too hard.” 

“Crew evaluations. I suppose you’ve finished yours. But you rarely play pool, let alone enter the tournaments. Why this one?” 

“A couple of reasons. They needed the numbers, so ostensibly I’m helping out. However, I’ve got a surprise planned for Mr. Paris and his cohorts. This is the perfect time to execute it.” Chakotay sounded smug.

“Aren’t you going to tell what the plan is?” 

“Wouldn’t you rather come and be surprised?” 

Kathryn tilted her head and examined Chakotay’s face closely, but the master of the neutral expression was giving nothing away. She gave a laugh and capitulated. 

“Okay. You’ve convinced me. What time?” 

“2030 hours.” 

“I’ll see you then.” 

She clasped his hand and squeezed gently, before letting go and heading for the Bridge. 

 

~

 

Kathryn changed into an ice-blue scoop necked shirt and deeper blue skirt - informal but not overwhelmingly so. Arriving at Sandrine’s a few minutes after the appointed time, she was greeted warmly by Tom Paris, who provided her with a drink and a brief update of the proceedings. Chakotay was already playing Chell, as they had drawn the first round tournament spot. 

She settled back on a stool and prepared to indulge in some Chakotay-watching. A burst of applause woke her from her reverie. She had been focused on how his shoulder muscles rippled beneath the plain white tee shirt he wore and how his jeans clung to his well-formed rear and legs. She hastily joined in the clapping, though she had to wait until Tom actually called out the results to find out Chakotay had won. 

Chakotay shook Chell’s hand, passed his cue over to Ken Dalby and came to stand beside Kathryn. She smiled her congratulations and, after checking that they were not the centre of attention, discreetly hugged him. She returned to her stool as Tom came over to speak to Chakotay. 

“Commander, Congratulations!” 

“As it’s a social occasion, let’s leave the ‘Commander’ on the Bridge, Tom.” 

“Sure, Chakotay. Nice close game. You played well.” 

“Thank you. You’re up next, aren’t you?” 

“Yes, against Rollins.” 

Tom reached back to grab a bowl from the bar. 

“Nuts, anyone? Neelix collected these maw-nuts last week. They’re not too bad, especially now he’s roasted them up with some spices.” 

The three of them shared the nuts companionably for a few minutes. Tom provided them with a softly spoken, slightly scurrilous running commentary of the match between Dalby and Gerron, which he delivered in a completely deadpan manner. As Dalby sunk the last ball, Tom grinned and raised one finger in a mock salute. He then moved away to announce the results. Gerron handed his cue to Tom and the next game began. Chakotay found himself studying Tom’s form with interest. Faded jeans fitted snugly, and the navy shirt complimented his fair coloring. Something inside Chakotay stirred, and his thoughts wandered in a direction they hadn’t taken for a long time. Eventually the noise from those watching the game penetrated his musings and drew him back to the present. He joined in the applause as Tom easily defeated Rollins.

Round two draws were made. Chakotay was placed against Dalby in the third match. It was another close game, won again by Chakotay. Kathryn now realized what Chakotay’s surprise was. When he returned to her side, she tackled him. 

“You’ve been practicing.” 

“That’s right.” 

“When?” 

“When do you think? I don’t spend my whole holodeck time boxing.” 

“Did you place a wager?” 

“Of course.” 

“What about Tom?” 

“You’ll see.” 

 

The semi-finals pitted Chakotay against Greg Ayala and Harry Kim against Tom Paris. The consensus seemed to indicate it would be a Paris-Ayala grand final. Tom and Harry played first. Harry had been known to beat Tom occasionally, but tonight was not one of those times. The match between Greg and Chakotay was like Chakotay’s previous games and closely fought. Two pairs of blue eyes followed Chakotay’s every move. One pair naturally belonged to Kathryn Janeway, who again had zoned out into her own private fantasyland. The other pair belonged to Tom Paris, who gave the impression he was studying the game closely, but in reality was indulging of some Chakotay-watching of his own. This was a strictly private occupation, enjoyed only when Tom was absolutely sure nobody would notice. He kept his thoughts about the sexy first officer to himself, not even sharing them with Harry. He gathered several images to store for later replay; the slope of Chakotay’s spine through the white shirt, the back of his neck, his strong hands clasping the polished wooden cue, his firm ass encased in well-fitting jeans, his… 

Harry’s voice impinged upon Tom’s subconscious and he returned to the present in a rush. He covered up his lack of knowledge of Harry’s question by telling him to be quiet as he was concentrating on the game. He needed to study the commander’s style. After all, the commander didn’t play pool often enough for anyone to be truly au fait with his strengths and weaknesses. In fact, Tom had been surprised when Chakotay had agreed to play in the first place. He’d needed one more player to make up the numbers and had asked him as a courtesy, not expecting, although hoping, he would agree to participate. However, now was not the time to think about that, as Chakotay defeated Greg and Tom realized he would need all his wits about him for the final match. 

“Would you like a short recess for a drink or something, Comm…Chakotay?” 

“No, but thanks for asking, Tom. We may as well start straight away.” 

“Greg, you toss the coin to see who breaks. Chakotay, you call.” 

“Tails.” 

“Tails it is. Chakotay breaks.” 

The crowd fell silent. Chakotay broke, and as one ball rolled into a pocket off the break, he continued playing. He sank another ball before leaving a difficult although not impossible shot for Tom. Tom made the game look like child’s play, sinking that one and another three balls in quick succession. He happened to glance up and caught an odd expression in Chakotay’s eyes. It wasn’t anything negative, like anger or frustration, or even resignation. It was almost as though the commander was sharing a secret with him, although he had no idea what. Combined with his headfull of images, it was enough to put him off his stride and the next ball missed the pocket. Tom backed away from the table and watched as Chakotay moved neatly into position. 

Chakotay bent over the pool table to line up his shot, cocking his hip for better advantage, and sank his third ball. A small smile lurked at hiss mouth, as he accurately pocketed the next four balls and left the cue ball in position for his final shot. The room remained silent for half a minute after Chakotay won, and then erupted into cheers and congratulations. As he shook hands warmly with Tom, his smile widened into a full-dimpled grin and his brown eyes sparkled. Tom’s face finally lost the nonplussed look he’d been wearing and a wry smile appeared in return. He’d been set up. 

Kathryn wriggled through the crowd of people now surrounding the commander and congratulating him with hearty black slaps, hugs and not a few daring kisses. She reached his side and complimented him on his game. She squeezed his hand, practically all she would allow in public, so it was hard to say who was more surprised when Chakotay suddenly clasped her to his chest, theatrically bent her back and kissed her thoroughly. He straightened them both up, and hugged her tightly. 

“No blatant PDA’s,” she muttered crossly.

Chakotay sighed. It wasn’t as if the crew didn’t know about their relationship after three months. The grapevine was very efficient. He was getting more frustrated as time went by. He wanted to be openly demonstrable at social occasions, just a hug, a kiss or a little hand holding in Sandrine’s or the Resort, naturally not on the Bridge. He managed to retain hold of her hand as they stood and chatted for a while longer to various crewmembers about the game. Chakotay looked down at Kathryn and raised an eyebrow as he inclined his head towards the door. She nodded, and they prepared to leave. They passed Tom, and Chakotay stopped to thank him once more for organizing the tournament and the invitation to take part. 

“It was a lot of fun, Tom. Thanks.” 

“You will be expected to sign up for future tournaments from now on, Chakotay.” 

“Maybe, Tom. Maybe I will.” 

“And please, come and have some practice sessions here at Sandrine’s, so the rest of us can be a little more prepared!” 

Chakotay laughed, and nodded. With a final goodbye, he and Kathryn left the holodeck and headed towards the turbo lift. A now familiar burning sensation made its presence felt around Chakotay’s mouth and he raised a hand to rub it, only to become aware that Kathryn was doing the same thing to her face. He stopped abruptly and grasped her chin, tilting her head to get a closer look at her mouth. Her lips had swollen and a reddened area around them seemed to be increasing as he watched. A few tiny blisters appeared at the corner of her mouth. Her tongue came out to lick at them in an attempt to soothe the intense burning, but her tongue was no longer pink. It was bright red. 

“It burns,” she rasped.

“Same. What do you think?” 

“We need to go to Sickbay.” 

“Agreed. Do you want me to call for a transport?” enquired Chakotay.

“Negative. I can still walk. No need to fuss.” 

They entered the turbolift and Chakotay gave the destination. It was a silent trip, punctuated only by Kathryn’s now rapid, somewhat noisy breathing, which had started as the lift doors closed. 

~ 

“You may leave now Mr. Rollins, however I suggest you avoid Mr. Neelix’s spicy roasted maw-nuts in the future.” 

The Doctor turned to greet the newcomers. 

“Ah, Captain, Commander.” 

He scanned them rapidly as he spoke. He muttered something about elevated IgE levels, antigens and antibodies. After briefly examining the redness and swelling around the mouths of both parties, he flung questions at them, barely waiting for a response. 

“Any burning sensations, itchiness, sneezing, nausea?” 

Both confirmed the first two symptoms and denied the second two. 

“Were you at Sandrine’s tonight? Did you consume any maw-nuts?” 

A pleased expression settled on his face as they answered ‘yes’ to both questions. 

“You have had an allergic reaction to the maw-nuts.” 

“But they were scanned and classified as safe to use,” protested Chakotay.

They Doctor administered the appropriate hyposprays as he clarified, “Safe to use in their raw state, which is how they were scanned. However, the combination of heat and spices Mr. Neelix used caused a chemical reaction that altered the antigenic determinant on the surface of the nuts. I’ve had eight other crew members in with similar allergic responses in the past hour.” 

Within a few moments, both the captain and the commander’s color had returned to normal, and both were wearing expressions of relief as the burning and itching dissipated. 

“I’ve ordered all the roasted maw-nuts to be destroyed and notation made saying for consumption in raw form only. I suggest you both return to your quarters, as the antihistamine I have administered may make you drowsy. The reaction experienced by you, Captain, has been the most serious to date. Commander, you were not far behind. Just how many of those nuts did you eat?” 

Not expecting an answer, he shooed them out of Sickbay, just as Gerron entered, rubbing his mouth. 

~

 

After six days of safe, uneventful travel, they reached the end of Resna’viaan space. The Resna’viaan’s reported their closest neighbors in the next two systems were friendly, and that while they themselves had been unable to have all of Voyager’s crew down for shore leave thanks to the timing of the Ceremony of Coalescence, they should be able to spend time visiting either, or both, of the inhabited planets in those systems. The Prime Resna had provided them with introductions to his counterparts to help make their first contacts smooth experiences. 

Voyager would reach the Lineas system in two more days. The third planet was their goal. Chakotay occupied himself with drawing up several shore leave rosters for varying lengths of time, assuming they would be welcomed, as the Prime Resna had indicated. They hoped to remain in orbit six days, giving everyone at least two days on the planet. Protocol for shore leave on inhabited planets meant he and the captain would have to spend their actual days off separately, but there would still be two days and nights they could spend together on Voyager, with minimal ship’s business to conduct. With no further urgent business demanding attention, he gave himself permission to sit and do nothing for the ten minutes remaining until the lunch break. 

All the crew affected by maw-nut allergy, including the captain and himself, had recovered and there had been no further reactions. He and Kathryn had still not celebrated his win at the pool tournament, but they planned to remedy that the following night. He had booked the holodeck for six hours. A private suite for dinner at Copper Beeches, a classy hotel with excellent food and stunning views from the upstairs rooms, should provide the two of them with a most enjoyable evening. 

~

There was still some forty minutes remaining of Chakotay’s holodeck reservation, and he and Kathryn were sleeping in the big bed in the Copper Beeches suite. They had enjoyed a superb meal and wound up in bed, sharing strawberries and champagne. 

Kathryn moved restlessly in Chakotay’s arms. The burning in her mouth had started again, but this time it was more intense than previously. Her hands seemed out of control as they moved between her legs, to scratch and rub the burning itch that was developing there too. Her palms radiated heat as she dragged them along her inner thighs. Her movements became more frantic as the sensations affected more areas of her body. One hand moved up to her breast and she tried to knead the unpleasant tingling away. Chakotay stirred. He raised a large hand to his face and rubbed heavily at his lips. He groaned and pulled himself into a sitting position so he could scratch and rub his own burning itches. He became aware of Kathryn now writhing next to him. 

“Come on. Cold helps. Into the shower.” 

“You too?” 

“Yes. Four, five times now. This is the worst.” 

Chakotay turned the shower on and held Kathryn under the spray. Her breath caught and she wheezed with the shock of the sudden cold. She turned her face up and opened her mouth to drink, cooling her tongue and throat. Soon Chakotay moved her to the side a little and drank deeply himself. 

After almost ten minutes, they were unable to tell whether any remaining burning sensation was from the cold water or something else. Chakotay turned off the water. He stepped out into the bathroom and snagged a couple of towels. He passed one to Kathryn and began to dry himself with the other. 

“We need to talk.” Chakotay’s tone was serious.

“In the living room, then.” 

They sat facing each other. 

“This wasn’t maw-nuts.” He didn’t wait for Kathryn to start.

“No. You said this has happened to you before. When?” 

“Two or three times I’ve had a burning mouth, and twice before tonight there’s been redness, burning and swelling of my hands, face, chest and lower…” Chakotay indicated with a wave of his hand. “You?” 

“The same. The other two times for you, were they after we…” 

“Made love? Yes. I wondered if you had changed perfume and I’d had an allergic reaction.” 

“When I saw the redness on myself, I thought you’d given me beard rash,” Kathryn laughed apologetically, “But it’s not that, is it? And I haven’t changed perfumes.” Her hands moved, one to her mouth, and one to her groin. “Damn it. It’s starting again.” 

“Kathryn, we need to go to Sickbay. The cold water hasn’t worked this time. Your mouth is swelling, your hands are red.” 

He reached over and pushed aside her towel, exposing her breasts. “Look here. They’re red too and these raised areas aren’t normal. That’s not from scratching.” Several long clear marks extended outwards for several inches from her nipples. More wheals were developing as they watched.

Chakotay began to rub his mouth again. “Get dressed. Do you want me to call for a transport?” 

“No. I can walk.” 

“I think we’ve had this conversation before. It was after the maw-nuts at Sandrine’s. Kathryn, we kissed in Sandrine’s. What if that time wasn’t the nuts?” 

Chakotay dropped his towel as he stood. Wheals covered his lower belly and chest. He tried rubbing with a flat hand, hoping that would be more effective that scraping his nails over the itches.

They dressed quickly, and over-ruling Kathryn who had begun to wheeze again, Chakotay called for a transport to Sickbay.

 

~ 

 

“Captain, you have swollen bluish red mucous membranes in the oral-nasal cavities and vagina; angioedema, that is, diffuse swelling, of the eyelids, lips, hands, feet and vulva; areas of urticaria, that is, the raised wheals and red areas mainly on your torso and enlarged lymph nodes. You also report multiple areas that are affected by burning and itching sensations, but particularly the mouth and groin. You also have mentioned difficulty breathing, itchy eyes and a frontal headache.” 

The Doctor paused and consulted his scanner again. 

“Commander, you also have swollen bluish red mucous membranes in the oral-nasal cavities, along with involvement of the penis; angioedema of the eyelids, lips, hands, feet and scrotum; areas of urticaria mainly on your torso, enlarged lymph nodes, and multiple areas you report being affected by burning and itching sensations, but particularly the mouth and groin. You, however, have not had any difficulty breathing or headache.” The EMH spoke bluntly, ignoring the embarrassment of his patients. “You both show extremely levels of high IgE and IgG antibodies, along with raised numbers of T-cells and B-cells…” 

“Doctor, please tells us what this all means,” interrupted the captain. She squirmed awkwardly in her seat, “And can you please DO something to stop this?” 

“You both have a severe allergic reaction, but I have not yet determined to what you are allergic. I will give you a general antihistamine to relieve the worst of the symptoms, but I will need more details as to how and when these incidents have been occurring. I will also need to run further tests.” 

The Doctor administered the hyposprays, waited for them to take effect and then resumed his interrogation. 

“Commander, you report at least three incidents of burning and redness around the mouth only and three other incidents, including this one, involving multiple body areas, this third time being the worst.” 

Chakotay nodded. 

“Captain, you report the same number if incidents, occurring at the same times.” 

“Yes, Doctor.” 

“There was only one occasion when you had eaten maw-nuts. I want you to try and recall a common occurrence, something the two of you did, or consumed, each time this happened.” 

Chakotay took a breath, and paused. Kathryn sat rigidly and refused to look at Chakotay or the Doctor. Chakotay knew her insistence on keeping their relationship as private as possible was going to have to take a back seat while they were dealing with something medical. 

“The times where the burning and redness involved only the mouth happened after we kissed. The other three occasions have been after we had sexual intercourse,” he reported expressionlessly, as though at a staff briefing.

“Commander, you and the captain have been sexually intimate for approximately twelve weeks now, is that correct?” 

“Yes.” 

“The symptoms you describe have only appeared in the last eight or nine days, correct?” 

“Yes.” 

“Have you changed any of your sexual practices in that time, for example, introduced new lubricants, aids, partners?” 

“No, No and NO! Doctor, are you sure this line of questioning is really necessary?” 

“Yes, if we are going to get to the bottom of this. I will require you both to present back here at 0900 hours tomorrow morning for further tests. In the meantime, please refrain from any further sexual activity, including kissing and holding hands, until I give you permission.” 

At the last, Chakotay visibly choked, while the captain, who had remained silent throughout the last part of the exchange, acknowledged the Doctor’s orders and responded tonelessly, “Very well, Doctor.” 

She stood abruptly and stalked out of sickbay, not waiting for Chakotay. He caught up to her in the corridor. She stopped in her tracks, and turned to face him. 

“I need to be alone right now. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

“At least let me see you to your quarters.” 

She nodded, and they continued walking in silence. They paused outside her door. 

“Do you want to meet for breakfast, Kathryn?” 

“No. I’ll see you at the senior staff meeting at 0800 hours.” 

“We do need to talk about this.” 

She gave a crooked smile. “I know. But not right now. Maybe after we’ve seen the Doctor.” 

“Kathryn, we’re in this together. We will support one another through this. That’s what partners do.” 

“I know.” 

“If you change your mind about breakfast, comm me.” 

She nodded, and then pointedly closed the door in his face.


	2. Tests and Results

Sickbay, the next day… 

“Good morning, Captain, Commander. Please get changed into these examination gowns and then take your places on the biobeds.” 

The Doctor handed out two blue hospital gowns and returned to his computer. Kathryn and Chakotay exchanged startled glances. They remained standing in silence, somewhat flummoxed by the instruction. Normally the EMH just conducted the scans through their uniforms. 

“Why aren’t you ready yet? We haven’t got all day.” 

The Doctor’s manner was testy, so they made haste to comply and within a few minutes were in position on the biobeds. 

“Mr. Paris, I’m ready to begin.” 

Tom appeared from the workspace at the back of Sickbay, where he had been sterilizing some of the Doctor’s equipment. 

“What’s HE doing here?” 

“Mr. Paris is rostered for duty here today, Commander, as you may recall, and will be aiding me with the examination and testing procedures.” 

“Is that absolutely necessary?” 

“Yes. I require assistance with the procedures, and it is part of his training.” 

Tom stood quietly, listening to the exchange, but managing to remain silent. He was bursting with curiosity, but other than a slight widening of his eyes, there was nothing to indicate his brain was whirling with questions. The Doctor had told him he would be assisting with some deep tissue scans and empirical allergy testing on two of the crew, who had manifested some unusual symptoms, but had not elucidated who the patients were. He watched the commander grit his teeth and obviously bite back a retort. 

“If there are no further questions, Commander? Captain?” 

“Can we just begin, Doctor?” asked the captain drearily. She too, had remained silent throughout the exchange. 

“Mr. Paris, I will be working on Captain Janeway. You will run the scans and tests on the commander at the same time. If you have any questions or concerns, please bring them up straight away.” 

“Yes, Doctor,” replied Tom quietly. He did not want to antagonize Chakotay at all, and resolved to be on his best professional behavior. 

“Commencing scanning.” 

The doctor called out the scans he required and Tom entered the various programs promptly. Some fifteen minutes later, the scans were complete. The only sounds had been the Doctor’s brusque instructions to Tom, Tom’s occasional responses, twice his brief questions that the Doctor answered succinctly, and the usual beeps from the computers.

“Now we will collect the samples.” 

“Samples?” Something finally roused the Captain from her seeming stupor to ask the single word question. 

“Some of the scans are inconclusive. We need to conduct empirical tests to find the underlying cause. Mr. Paris, we need to collect samples of all bodily fluids. We will begin with the saliva. If you would get the equipment.” 

Tom turned, glad of the opportunity to hide his face, as he knew he was unable to conceal a faint blush. All bodily fluids meant saliva, tears, sweat, blood, urine and semen or vaginal fluids. He could manage collecting the first four, but fervently hoped for the last two that the Doctor would give the captain and commander the appropriate sample jars and let them attend to the details without any assistance on his part. 

He listened to the captain expostulating with the Doctor over the necessity of the sample collection. He handed half of the containers to the Doctor and returned to stand by Chakotay. Tom wondered if he should apologize up front, but decided as it was a medical procedure that had to be performed he didn’t need to say sorry. He found himself looking down into Chakotay’s eyes. His expression was one of poorly concealed worry. Tom murmured something reassuring along the line that he’d done this before and it was mostly a painless procedure. He tried to project an aura of calm and trustworthiness. 

He must have succeeded, as Chakotay remained quiet. He followed Tom’s instructions to the letter, opening his mouth, and performing other activities as required. The Doctor was having a more difficult time of things with the captain. 

Tom carefully labeled the vials of blood, sweat, tears and saliva, and then turned to the Doctor. 

“Doc, about the last two samples?” 

He looked beseechingly at the EMH, who for once realized where Tom was heading with his query. 

“Hand Commander Chakotay the containers and he can retire to the bathroom and provide samples of urine and semen without your assistance.” 

“Thanks, Paris.” Chakotay spoke in an undertone as he blushed faintly and took the containers, and his neatly folded pile of uniform. He turned and headed towards the bathroom. He was unaware that the back of the examination gown gaped open, which afforded Tom a lovely view of his lower spine and ass. 

Once in the small bathroom Chakotay was able to produce the first of the two required samples with relative ease. The second was different. The small room also contained a shower and a seat, for use by anyone required to stay in Sickbay for any length of time but not actually bedridden. He debated whether to turn on the shower, and then decided against it as he imagined the abrupt tones of the Doctor ordering him not to get water in with the semen. 

“Make this fast,” he told himself. “And quiet.” He smiled wryly as he stripped off the ugly gown and sat naked on the chair. He closed his eyes and grasped his flaccid penis. As he settled into a familiar rhythm, his mind turned inwards. 

‘She moved towards him, wearing a cream colored gown that was long and diaphanous. The tips of her breasts were visible through the material, and hardening to his gaze. She melted into his arms, slate-blue eyes looking steadily into his as she opened her mouth to his kiss. He moved one hand to knead her buttock; the other caressed her shoulder, and pulled the thin strap of her gown aside. He kissed down the side of her neck and along her collarbone. He licked towards her nipple, and teased it with the tip of his tongue, before sucking it strongly into his mouth. She shrugged her other shoulder out of the gown and it pooled around her feet. He bit down gently, before moving to her other breast. His other hand walked fingertip by fingertip to her hip and he planted warm open-mouthed kisses down her rounded belly to the curls at the junction of her thighs. A quick kiss there and he began to work his way back up to her breasts. 

At this point, his fantasy Kathryn began to change, although he did not realize it just yet. Slowly her body stretched and her stomach flattened. Soft hair appeared on the previously smooth skin. The hips in his grasp narrowed and the buttocks firmed. Soft curved breasts flattened out to muscular, hair-covered pectorals and raspberry shaped nipples shrank to small, hard pebbles. He continued kissing back upwards, now finding his fantasy lover had to bend ‘his’ head down in order to kiss Chakotay back. He looked into eyes that were now sapphire blue. She had become a he. A ‘he’ that he knew all too well…’ 

He supposed he should have started, been surprised, or reacted in some way. He loved Kathryn, didn’t he? Had desired her for a long time and now she was his. He hadn’t thought about the tall blond pilot in months. A part of his brain told him this was right, how it was meant to be, and now his cock lengthened, thickened, hardened even more. His hand stroked faster. He closed down that train of thought for now, but he would remember and consider the subconscious messages later, as some other part of his brain reminded him just why he was here, doing this. His other hand reached for the container. He bit down hard on his lower lip, trying to remain as quiet as possible. He opened his eyes and managed to direct his ejaculate into the jar. He remained in the chair, chest heaving, and tried to bring his breathing quickly under control. 

In the meantime, Tom had taken the other samples to the work area, and tried not to listen as the Doctor explained to the captain how he wanted her other bodily fluids to be collected. His thoughts turned to Chakotay and to what he would be doing for the production of the final sample. His mind wandered, selecting a picture of Chakotay in the jeans he’d been wearing at the pool tournament, substituting the white tee shirt with a shirtless torso from a picture he’d mentally taken a year ago in the men’s locker room after a gym work out. The Sickbay bathroom was not a particularly attractive location, so he moved Chakotay to a beach, at sunset, no, make that sunrise. The sand was white and Tom focused on the contrast between the sand and the long, brown bare feet. The jeans hugged well-formed calves and thighs, and molded the perfect ass. Now Tom watched large hands follow the waistband of the jeans along the hips to the front, undo the stud and zip, and begin to slide them down, taking the underwear with them. He groaned softly and licked his lips as his mind showed a partially erect… 

“Mr. Paris.” 

The EMH’s strident tones impinged upon Tom’s daydream. 

“Mr. Paris!” 

“Y-yes, Doc?” He bit back an expletive with difficulty.

“At your earliest convenience…” 

Tom willed his breathing to return to normal and his own burgeoning erection to subside, now, and was able to collect the captain’s samples from the Doctor with equanimity. He would have to watch himself. He normally reserved dreams such as those for the privacy of his own quarters. 

When the captain and the commander finally reappeared, dressed once more in their uniforms, the Doctor dismissed them, saying he would be obliged if they would return at the end of the shift as he hoped to have news for them by then. He worked Tom hard until lunchtime, having him test the various samples individually and in combination, all the while lecturing to him on the fascinating topic of immunology in general and allergies in particular. Already the tests were showing an obvious trend; the captain and the commander had developed an allergy to each other, although the Doctor yet had been unable to determine why. 

Tom decided it would be prudent to eat lunch alone in his quarters. As he ate his replicated pasta, he thought about the case history details that he’d been unable to avoid reading as he entered the data from the test results on to the appropriate PADDs. He couldn’t help snorting. He tried telling himself it wasn’t funny. It was a serious medical condition, right?

Well, it wasn’t funny when it was happening to Chakotay, but he could certainly see the funny side of Captain Janeway turning red and scratching places where she’d been in contact with any of Chakotay’s ‘bodily fluids’. He’d been envious when he realized the captain and Chakotay had finally cemented their relationship. Sure, they had been discreet, so discreet it had taken the crew almost ten days to catch on to the fact, but Tom had known within twenty-four hours, and he’d kept his knowledge to himself. 

Tom returned to Sickbay and for several more hours, he assisted the Doctor with the usual mix of minor injuries that cropped up on a typical day when he wasn’t running more tests on the samples they had collected that morning. He was surprised to find how interesting he found the whole process. It was like solving a mystery. In any case, it certainly beat sterilizing equipment, a more common task for Tom when working in Sickbay. 

An hour before the captain and commander were due to return, the Doctor interrupted Tom and gave him a list of items to replicate. He was engrossed in something complicated he was unable to leave, and the things were needed for his patients.

“Condoms - male, condoms - female, dental dams…Hey Doc, what are these things?” 

“Barrier prophylactics. Historically, they were used to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, as well as contraceptive devices. The advancement of medical treatments, the eradication of many of the diseases they had been used to stop the spread of, and development of the contraceptive boosters saw their disappearance. You’ll find them in the medical database. Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay will require them during the next week or so until we determine the cause and the cure for this unusual allergic reaction. This way they will be able to maintain a sexual relationship without coming into contact with each other’s bodily fluids and setting off further, possibly more serious, reactions.” The Doctor sounded smug. Nobody could accuse him of ignoring the non-medical needs of his patients this time. 

“Oh.”

“If you are interested in some further reading on the subject, you may use the terminal in my office until the captain and the commander arrive. The appropriate references have been marked. Just remember to replicate all the items on the list.” 

Tom entered the office and sat down. He found the pages the Doctor had bookmarked and began to read. The medical aspects of barrier prophylactics were straightforward; the latex barriers were simple and logical, and really quite efficient when used correctly. Chakotay and Captain Janeway did not need them for either of their two main uses, only to prevent an allergic reaction to each other, so they shouldn’t have any problems at all. 

He continued reading. The history of the condom was actually quite interesting. Originally, they were made from animal intestines, at which Tom wrinkled his nose. The section on types of condoms that had been produced brought a smile to his face. It would certainly be a kindness to replicate a variety of textures and colors. He could program the replicator to produce an ordinary looking box with basic condoms as specified by the Doctor to go on the top, in case he used any for demonstration purposes. A second box that looked the same could be underneath, but it would contain a selection of colored and glow-in-the-dark, ribbed and nubbed condoms, pre-lubricated ones for quickies, and maybe even a musical one or two. 

He considered the ramifications of actually having to use these things every time you wanted to have sex. Okay, having a partner roll one of those condoms on your erection had possibilities. He even began to get a little hard at the thought of someone sliding back his foreskin, slowly rolling the sheath down to the base and then applying the lubricant. He was pleased to find the question of sensation addressed in the section under lubricants, as he’d wondered about how much feeling one would have after putting on a condom, and then sliding inside a hot, wet partner or when they closed their mouth around your latex covered shaft. They did however need to be used with water-based lubricants only, which was not on the Doctor’s list. Tom decided to replicate a selection of plain and flavored types of those as well. His own preferred lubricants seemed to be all oil-based; maybe Chakotay’s were too. He didn’t want to leave it to chance that there wouldn’t be any water-based ones when needed. 

There didn’t seem to be a lot he could do about the female condoms other than selecting a variety of colors and flavors, but the dental dams could be programmed in different sizes and shapes as well as flavors and colors. The gloves he decided would be best plain. Tom decided to go for broke and include a data chip containing information on of some of the history he had been reading, instructions for use, the sections on lubrication and oral sex, and some condom games he found. He was sure the Doctor’s discussion would leave a lot of this important stuff out. Besides, just because Chakotay was never likely to have a relationship with him, did not mean that Tom wanted him to have an unsatisfying relationship with someone else. He felt virtuously altruistic at that thought, and tried to convince himself he believed it. 

“Yeah, right!” he muttered to himself.

Tom had been so engrossed in the subject matter that he had not noticed that the captain and Chakotay had arrived in Sickbay. He hurriedly closed down the sites he’d been reading and vacated the Doctor’s office, as it would be needed for their consultation. He reported to the Doctor he was heading for the medical replicator now. He’d have the items on the list ready shortly. Before he left, he would place them in a plain dispatch case on the bench, where the Doctor would be able to get them when needed. Besides, he was sure Chakotay and the captain would rather have this discussion with the Doctor privately in Sickbay, once they found out what the topic of discussion was. 

He was therefore not happy when the Doctor asked, no, ordered him to remain, as he was needed. One of the tests the Doctor had been working on would not be concluded for another thirty minutes. Tom could supervise the completion of the test. He could also deal with any minor medical problems that arose during that time, and he could bring the replicated items to the office when asked. Tom frowned, but turned to go back to the workroom in silence. This was not a good time to protest working past the end of his shift. 

“By the way Mr. Paris, there will be another section to the allergy tests with that will require your personal participation.” 

The Doctor’s eyes seemed to gleam wickedly, as he explained exactly what type of personal participation was required. The look on Tom’s face was indescribable. 

 

~

 

“Captain, Commander. My office, please.” 

“What can you tell us, Doctor? Can you cure this?” Captain Janeway was brief and to the point.

“I have the results of the preliminary tests. They indicate both of you have developed an allergy to each other.” 

“An allergy? To each other? Is that possible?” Chakotay’s voice rose in disbelief. He turned to Kathryn, but she looked steadfastly at the Doctor. 

“Yes, it is possible for intra-species allergies to develop. In fact the first documented cases…but you don’t need all those details,” the Doctor added hurriedly as he caught a certain expression developing on the captain’s face. 

“Doctor, why has it manifested now? Why not three months ago?” The captain’s tone was clipped. 

“Ah, an interesting question, but one to which I have no answers yet. The primary tissue scans reveal only a series of altered antibodies that was not present three months ago, at the time of your last complete medicals. The series is almost identical in you both. These antibodies are reacting specifically to all of the samples. The possibility of a delayed hypersensitivity reaction cannot be excluded, so we are searching for triggers that may have manifested between six and fourteen days ago as prime suspects given the timing of the initial incident. However, we do not believe the maw nuts had anything to do with it. If nothing can be found in that time period, we will extend the search parameters back incrementally until the date of those medicals.” 

“Is it permanent? Is there a cure?” 

“Whether this condition is permanent is unknown at this stage. I have some more extensive tests planned. We need to determine whether this is something specific to just the two of you, or whether the problem is more widespread and the allergy is more generalized. I am working on a cure, however that will depend on the results of the next round of tests. They will take some time to complete. Standard allergy desensitization treatments will be able to begin once the RAST tests have concluded. I understand there will be shore leave at the next planet. You will need to attend Sickbay for monitoring once every twenty-four hours, but otherwise you both should be able to spend time planetside.” 

“How effective is this desensitization treatment likely to be?” Chakotay asked, sounding more hopeful.

“Unknown. You may have a response within days or weeks. The RAST tests will commence tomorrow at 0900 hours. After the first day, when testing will be more frequent, you will return for monitoring every twelve hours for four days. That will give us enough information to prepare the correct formula for the desensitization procedure. Further monitoring of the treatment on a less frequent schedule will continue until it is successful or I develop a cure.” 

“Doctor, what about our relationship? Are we able to have any…physical contact during this time?” 

Chakotay’s embarrassment increased as the Doctor became exceedingly pleased with himself. 

“You’ll be pleased to know, Commander, I have already taken that into consideration. Providing you follow all of my recommendations there is no reason why you cannot resume sexual intimacy straight away.” 

He stood and walked to the door of his office. He opened it abruptly and summoned Tom, who had the dispatch case ready. 

“Did you prepare your sample vials, as I requested?” 

Tom coughed, and reddened. 

“Yes.” That was as much of an answer as he could manage, with the captain and the commander able to hear every word through the open door. 

“Very well then, Mr. Paris. You are dismissed until 0800 tomorrow.” 

The Doctor took the case and closed the door. 

“As it is bodily fluids causing the allergic reaction, all you need to do to stop the reaction occurring is prevent contact of the fluids with your systems, so I am providing you with a selection of barrier prophylactics. If it turns out this allergy is incurable, you will still be able to continue in a sexual relationship by using these devices. Are there any questions?” 

“Err, Doctor, just what is a barrier prophylactic?” Chakotay retained enough presence of mind to ask the question.

The Doctor opened the case with a flourish and drew out the top boxes. 

“Latex barriers, originally used as contraceptive devices and later to prevent the spread of disease. They will stop your saliva, semen and vaginal secretions coming into contact with the other person. Here we have a male condom. It is rolled over the erect penis. Use with penetrative intercourse and fellatio. The female condom will require insertion in advance. Dental dams are to be used during cunnilingus, analingus, and for the two of you, over any body part you plan to kiss. I suggest you keep your nostrils free when using them around your mouths. The gloves are to prevent sweat from your palms coming into contact with any skin.” The Doctor pulled the condom off his fingers, where he had rolled it for his demonstration and handed it to Chakotay. 

Chakotay accepted it rather gingerly. He turned it over a few times and placed it carefully back on the desk. The captain barely looked at the female condom the Doctor passed to her. She had lapsed back into the depressive state she’d been in since the previous day.

“Do you need us for anything else right now, Doctor?”

“No, Commander. Just return at 0900 hours tomorrow. The RAST test will take only thirty minutes to initialize and then you will be free to resume your duties.” The EMH repacked the boxes into the dispatch case, which he passed to Chakotay.   
“If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.”

“Thanks, Doctor. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

The Doctor escorted them to the door, and returned to his research.

“Kathryn, we definitely need to talk.” Chakotay’s tone was firm and it was clear he was not going to accept a brush-off this time. “Do you want to discuss this over a meal?”

“No. I need to think. Later?”

“Very well. I’ll come by at 2100 hours.”

“Fine.”

“Do you want to take some of the Doctor’s… err…prophylactic barriers with you?”

Kathryn shuddered. “No. You take them.”

“Very well. I’ll see you later.” His tone softened. “We will get through this.”

Chakotay raised his hand to stroke her cheek, but she took a step back and he dropped his arm.

“Sorry,” he said wryly. “It’s automatic reflex, to want to touch you.”

Kathryn dredged up a small smile. “I know.” She held up a hand, curled into a fist. “I’m sorry too. This has been…We’ll talk later.” She turned and headed away from the turbolift, plainly wanting to be alone.

Chakotay sighed, hefted the dispatch case over his shoulder and returned to his quarters. He also had a lot of thinking to do.

 

~

 

At 2100 precisely, Chakotay was outside Kathryn’s quarters. He had brought the dispatch case, which was now only half-full. He had unpacked it, and explored more thoroughly. He soon realized the lower boxes contained differently styled contents to the top boxes from which the Doctor had taken his demonstration models. A quick scan of the information on the data chip proved enlightening. Chakotay couldn’t help grinning. 

“Tom Paris, you…you reprobate!” he murmured aloud. 

Tom had to have been responsible for this. He sorted the boxes into two piles and placed one lot in the side table drawer beside his bed. As he had uploaded the information on the data chip to his terminal to further study at his leisure, he was able to place the chip in the case to leave with Kathryn.

Kathryn replicated drinks, tea for Chakotay and coffee for herself. They sat facing each other. The silence was beginning to grow awkward. 

Chakotay sighed and asked, “Do you want to start?”

Kathryn started to shake her head, but then changed her mind.

“Chakotay, I want to apologize. I am so sorry for closing you out. I don’t know what to say.” She took another mouthful of coffee, seeking courage from the caffeine.

Chakotay said nothing, but leaned forward, silently encouraging Kathryn to continue.

“Please don’t take what I’m about to say the wrong way. This has been such a shock, developing this…this allergy. It means more of the crew will know about our relationship; details I would prefer to keep to ourselves. One of the hardest decisions I have made was deciding to pursue a full relationship with you. To move beyond captain and first officer. To move beyond friendship. ” She continued in the same vein for a few minutes, reiterating how difficult she’d found it to finally admit she wanted a sexual relationship. “You know I am not used to leaning on anyone. It’s hard.” Kathryn wound to a close. She leaned forward to grasp Chakotay’s hands, but remembered to pull back at the last moment.

“Where are those damn gloves?”

Chakotay found the correct box and they hastily donned a pair of gloves each, and then sat holding hands.

“What do we do if there’s no cure? Do we have to get used to carrying these gloves on a daily basis, in case there’s a reason to come in contact with each other? Or wear them permanently? I will not be made a laughing stock amongst the crew. Say something, Chakotay.”

He raised their gloved hands, her small ones nestling in his larger ones.

“I have given this some thought. See what you think of my plan. Until the Doctor can find a cure, or at least devise a treatment, we will not work the same duty shifts. You keep the alpha shift. I’ll transfer to beta. You take Tuvok to meet the Linean officials. We wouldn’t have been going down to the planet together anyway, so nobody is going to think anything if I do not accompany you to the surface. Therefore, neither of us has to wear, or even carry the gloves in public.

“Secondly, if the Doctor does not come up with anything in the next couple of days, we are going to need to do something about his…solution…to our current predicament, and if he can’t find a cure, we need to know if this is workable for us on a long term basis. We do need to try the condoms and things. The main thing is to support each other. Try to remember that we are in this together.” Chakotay was unable to prevent a note of frustration from entering his voice. Kathryn and sharing challenges as partners; the two sometime seemed mutually exclusive.

“There’s a data chip included with the Doctor’s boxes. I’ve already uploaded the information to my terminal. I’ll leave the chip here with you. Have a look at it soon, okay? People used to use these things all the time. It can’t be that bad.”

Kathryn withdrew her hands from Chakotay’s and stood. 

“I need another coffee.”

She moved to the replicator, and spoke without turning round, “Implement the shift changes. Transfer Lieutenant Paris to full-time Sick-Bay duties as well. I do not want anyone else involved in the test procedures if at all possible. Inform the Doctor of that also.”

She paused, and swallowed the contents of the mug, with none of her usual appreciation. Still keeping her back to Chakotay, she continued, “We will talk about using the…condoms…in a couple of days. If the Doctor is able to develop a treatment or cure quickly, then their purpose is moot.” She turned to face Chakotay again. “I’d like to be alone now, do you mind?”

Chakotay pasted a neutral expression on his face, and balled the hurt and frustration he felt into a tight wad and locked it away. This was not the time to get into an argument. He peeled the gloves off and dropped them next to his empty cup, then bid Kathryn goodnight and left.

As she looked at the closing door, a tear escaped and ran down her face. She went to wipe it away, and felt the latex against her skin. She stared at the gloves on her hands for a long time.

Chakotay made his way to one of the Observation Lounges, fortunately empty, and curled up on the window seat. He shouldn’t be surprised at Kathryn’s behavior. She was doing exactly what she’d done on other occasions, keeping her thoughts and decisions to herself. He had to wonder why he thought she would be more inclined to talk to him once they became intimate. Was he so abnormal, to want to talk to his partner? Much of his counseling work among the crew involved communication issues. He tried to view his relationship with Kathryn impartially, and considered what advice he would give to someone else in the same situation.

 

~

 

The next morning the Doctor was in an infuriatingly exuberant mood. 

“Good morning Captain, Commander. Have you any further incidents of allergic symptoms to report? No? Excellent. Did you make use of the prophylactics? Were there any difficulties?”

Talking briefly to Chakotay last night, and several hours of introspection had helped shake Kathryn out of her depression, so she was able to reply with some asperity, “Doctor, I fail to see the necessity of providing you with such intimate details.”

“Captain, with all due respect, you and Commander Chakotay have a medical condition that if allowed to progress, may develop into anaphylactic shock and death. As we still do not know the cause of your condition, a cure has still not been able to be developed. All empirical data is vital. I am currently unable to say how long it will take to find a cure. The future of your intimate relationship may very well depend on the use of those devices and if there are going to be problems, I need to know, so another solution to that problem can be found.”

“Very well, Doctor. No we haven’t used them yet.”

“Thank you. Now was that difficult?”

Not expecting an answer, the Doctor turned to Tom, who had been standing in the background, holding a covered tray. He beckoned him over. Tom placed the tray in front of the doctor and stood waiting for further instructions.

“Captain, Commander, please roll up your left sleeves. Lieutenant Paris, pick up the other sub-dermal innoculator and set it like so over Commander Chakotay’s arm.”

He demonstrated on the captain’s arm.

“Press twice and release. Enter the time of inoculation on to the files.”

Chakotay was unable to stop himself flinching as he felt the sting of a multitude of small needles breaking the surface of his skin in a defined pattern. A hiss accompanied the second maneuver as specific irritants worked their way into his system through the tiny cuts.

“You will need to remain in Sickbay for the next thirty minutes. We will be scanning the sites every five minutes. After that, if there are no signs of anaphylaxis, you may return to your duty shift. You will be required back in Sickbay for scanning every two hours for a further twelve hours and then every twelve hours after that, providing there are no serious signs or symptoms. If any of the following develop, you are to come to Sickbay immediately.”

After giving details of everything he considered a serious enough symptom requiring immediate medical attention, the Doctor announced it was time for the first scan.

“Observation, Mr. Paris. Not just with the scanners, but also with your eyes. Note that a number identifies each pinprick. You are to enter visual descriptions of any reactions here and here. Then do these four types of scans.”

A line of small red dots had already appeared on Chakotay’s arm, so Tom checked the location of the reactions against the code numbers and made his entries on the data PADD. 

The Doctor hummed and hawed over similar lines of red dots on the captain’s arm. Even in the short space of time, hers were larger and more numerous than Chakotay’s reactions.

The completion of the scans left only a minute before the next round of observations were due. It was pointless for anyone to roll down his or her sleeve for the little time remaining, so Kathryn and Chakotay sat with their arms outstretched. Tom was already engrossed in the information from the scans. Chakotay tried to read over his shoulder.

“Next readings please,” the Doctor’s voice broke Tom’s concentration.

“Could you tell me what’s happening?” Chakotay enquired softly.

“Sure, Commander. The Doctor has placed a specific substance at each needlepoint and we are seeing which ones cause a reaction. The scans tell us what your cells are doing, and if there are any antibodies forming, which we may be able use to formulate a treatment. If we are able to find a specific amino acid sequence with a tertiary surface configuration, we will be able to match it to a site of homologous antigens. We are also looking for the formation of antiglobulins, autoantigens, blocking antibodies and any new cytotoxic factor developments.”

Chakotay was surprised at the enthusiasm in Tom’s voice, and at the ease with which the medical terms rolled off his tongue. It was how he sounded when discussing flying, or developing new flight sims or holoprograms. He never thought he would hear that tone in Tom’s voice over anything medical. He looked at the blond head bent over his arm and suddenly found he had a strong urge to run his fingers through the hair.

“Hmmm.”

“What?” Chakotay became a little alarmed at Tom’s ‘hmmm’.

“I just got a kind of a flare on this scan. I’d better repeat it just to be on the safe side.”

“Next series please” 

The Doctor was better than a chronometer.

Tom raised his voice. “Hey Doc, I had an odd flare during one of the scans. Have you had anything similar?”

“Flare? What sort of flare?”

“Like the screen lit up for a moment, obscuring the readings. I redid the scan when it happened.”

“Negative, Mr. Paris. There have been no flares of any kind with the captain’s scans. Check the scanner is functioning after you’ve uploaded the information. If it’s faulty, you may have to repeat the commander’s tests.”

“Sure thing, Doc.”

“Next series please.”

As Tom scanned and recorded, Chakotay drew a shallow breath and then spoke quickly, “Tom, there’s a couple of things I’d like to ask you. Would you call by my quarters during your lunchtime? ” 

Chakotay wanted desperately to talk to someone and Tom’s name had topped the short list. B’Elanna, Greg and Tuvok were eliminated on the grounds that nobody was supposed to know what was happening, and of those, Greg would have been really the only one he would have felt comfortable with discussing Kathryn. Besides, there were things he needed to discuss specifically with Tom.

“Very well, Commander.”

“Could you tell me what’s happening now?” Chakotay asked as he looked at the jumble of information displayed on the screen.

“Okay. Now see here, and here, Chakotay.”

Tom had forgotten to remain formal as he pointed out where the data showed the first series of skin reactions had continued to enlarge. Another series had started to produce small red dots, but these were just pale imitations of the first lot.

“Your body is trying to produce antibodies to the allergens that were on the needle tips. With some substances it is more successful than others.”

Tom ran the medical tricorder over the area; its function was to perform accurate measurements of diameter, height, temperature, color and other basic information.

“Is there anything you can do about the itch? It’s starting to drive me crazy.” Chakotay’s other hand was clasping and unclasping convulsively as he tried hard to restrain himself from scratching the test area.

“Doc, we can’t do anything for the itch yet, can we?” Tom asked, continuing with the series of scans as he made his request. He knew the answer would be ‘no’, but asked anyway.

“I’m sorry. Not until the end of the first half hour of tests.” The Doctor sounded apologetic.

“There’s only ten minutes to go,” Tom remarked, at the Doctor’s, “Next series please.”

“Why are there so many test spots, Tom?” asked Chakotay. “I mean, I can work out that some of them have come from the…umm…samples taken yesterday.”

Tom looked up at Chakotay and tried to weigh up how the commander would respond when he heard. There was no question of not telling him, but maybe he’d try just part of the information first.

“You can see the marks are in four lines of pinpricks.”

“Yes, and there is nothing happening along the second or fourth lines. That first line is where the itch is most intense and the swellings are largest.”

“In light of your case history, the first line of responses is probably to Captain Janeway’s samples. The second line is most likely your own samples, included as a control. The third and fourth lines will belong to two other sample groups, to try and determine if this reaction is localized to you and the captain only, or if the allergy extends to others.”

“Other sample groups?”

“Yes, it’s standard testing procedure.”

Chakotay considered his arm.

“So there’s at least one person on board I have a mild allergy to, and one I seem to be…physically compatible with.”

“That would be a valid conclusion.”

“So who are these people?”

“You know I can’t tell you that, even if I knew, Commander. Besides, the Doctor prepared the testing hypos, and I’m only hypothesizing the results, based on what we already know, and what we can see happening here.”

“Last series please.” The Doctor’s calm tones intruded.

Chakotay sat quietly for a minute as Tom entered another round of descriptions onto the PADD, and then picked up the tricorder again. He considered the line of Tom’s neck disappearing into his uniform. His free hand itched to stroke it and he twitched with the effort to keep his hands where they were.

“That’s odd. Another flare. I’ll rescan that again.”

“Captain, Commander. Thank you for your cooperation. Please return to Sickbay in two hours, unless you develop any of the signs or symptoms I have already mentioned,” said the Doctor as he administered a mild antihistamine to control the itching in both of his patients.

Without waiting for them to leave, the Doctor began his analysis of the newly collected data. One difference in the test results was obvious immediately. The captain had reacted to all three sets of samples other than her own, two of them badly, while Chakotay had reacted to only two, one severely and the other was the mildest reaction of all. Tom knew one of the other sample sets was his own, though he didn’t know whom the Doctor had prevailed upon to provide him with the fourth sample.

“Doctor, whose sample didn’t Commander Chakotay react to?” Tom asked urgently. He needed to know.

“Yours, Mr. Paris.”

By a remarkable feat of self-control, the only reaction Tom made was to say neutrally, “Oh. Then who provided the other sample?”

The Doctor looked sharply at him, but as he considered the amount of work Tom had been putting in to the allergy testing, and the fact that for once he hadn’t seemed to mind that he had been withdrawn from the helm until there a cure or treatment was found, he saw no reason not to answer.

“Ensign Wildman. I wanted to have human male and female samples for initial comparison.”

“Whose is the other sample that the captain has had the second bad reaction? I’m assuming one is the commander’s?”

“Correct. One is the commander’s sample.” The Doctor paused, “Curiously, the second sample is yours.”

The Doctor paced his office as he began to theorize aloud. “Captain Janeway has had two significant allergic reactions to the two human male samples, being that of Commander Chakotay, with whom she noticed the original allergy symptoms developing, and that of secondary male control subject, Lieutenant Paris. She is showing a minor allergic reaction to the secondary female control.

“On the other hand, Commander Chakotay showed a significant allergic reaction to one of the human female samples, being that of Captain Janeway, and a mild allergic reaction to the secondary female control. He appears to have had no allergic reaction at all to the secondary male control.

“In both subjects, there are lesser visible reactions to the sweat sites and urine sites than there are to the blood, tears, semen and vaginal fluids sites.

“Due to the difference in response to the secondary controls samples by the test subjects, it may be necessary to expand the secondary controls to include a further human male and female set of samples as well as male and female sets from non-human species.

“Samples can be obtained during the next round of routine medical examinations scheduled to begin tomorrow. Samples will initially be subjected to a battery of computer scans before proceeding to physical testing on Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay.”

The Doctor finished pontificating and turned to Tom.

“Do you understand the direction the analysis is to take? Do you have any questions?”

“No Doctor. You’ve cleared that up nicely for me.”

“Excellent. You may begin analyzing the series one scans from the last half hour. Correlate the data with your visual observations of the commander’s samples. One day you may be in a situation where Voyager’s computer resources will be unavailable to you.”

“I’m on it.”

Tom made himself comfortable, and commenced the analysis. He wondered what Chakotay wanted to speak to him about. He put that thought aside, along with several others about the ramifications the allergy had for the relationship between the captain and the commander, and the interesting fact that she was allergic to him as well, and that Commander Chakotay wasn’t.


	3. The Break-up

Tom worked hard for the next hour and then checked the tricorder but could find no reason for the flares. It seemed to be working perfectly. He decided to use a different tricorder for the remainder of the scans, just to be on the safe side. He and the Doctor completed the next set of scans on the captain and the commander when they duly returned to Sickbay. There were no unusual flares this time. All too soon, Tom was dismissed for lunch and reminded to return before 1330 hours when the latest readings would be due.

With about forty minutes to spare before he was to return to Sickbay, Tom found himself standing at the door to Chakotay’s quarters. He took a deep breath and pressed the chime.

“Enter.”

“You wanted to see me, Commander?”

“Yes. Have a seat, Lieutenant.”

Tom sat down and waited.

“This isn’t easy for me.” Chakotay paused. “Tom, this is completely off the record.”

“Sure, Chakotay.” Tom used the man’s name instead of his rank in return, confirming the discussion was unofficial.

“Tom, you are now going to know a lot more details about my relationship…”

“Chakotay,” interrupted Tom hurriedly, “This is a medical condition. I would never discuss what happens in Sickbay with anyone.”

Tom was hurt to think Chakotay’s opinion of him was so poor. He had worked hard over the past few years to develop a good working relationship with the commander, and in recent times, had extended small tendrils of friendship, such as inviting him to be part of the pool tournament. He hated to think the man he most respected would believe he would break doctor-patient confidentiality, even if he weren’t strictly a doctor. 

“No, Tom, no. I know you would never tell anyone what goes on in Sickbay. You never have before, and I see no reason you would start now. Please don’t think that.” Chakotay was shocked and hastened to reassure Tom. He continued, “It’s just that I am not particularly comfortable with anyone, other than the person concerned, knowing the details of my private relationship with them. You heard the Doctor. He wants to know when, how often, probably even which positions, and by virtue of you being involved with the testing, you’ll know too, and…and, well, it’s just a bit disconcerting. What I was trying to do was apologize to you for any belligerence I may have shown to you in Sickbay, and to ask you to be patient with me in this situation.”

Tom softened at Chakotay’s embarrassment. He could sympathize with the reserved man. There were some things you just did not want made public, and Chakotay was more reserved than most. Tom made haste to apologize in his turn, for jumping in to the conversation without giving Chakotay a chance to finish speaking, and thereby creating the misunderstanding in the first place.

“Apology accepted, Tom. There’s something else I wanted to discuss with you.”

“Go ahead.” Tom gestured for him to continue.

“It’s about the contents of the dispatch case.”

Tom couldn’t help himself and reddened under the humor-filled gaze.

“You were responsible for the replication of the contents, weren’t you?” said Chakotay confidently.

“Umm… yes.” There was a pause, and then Tom continued, his blush deepening, “Why?”

“So the… how shall I put this…‘varieties’ of the… umm…prophylactic devices and the data chip were your ideas?”

“Well, yes. But the Doctor had the original idea for you to use them. You know, he was intensely proud of the fact that he’d thought of …” Tom waved a hand descriptively in the air, unwilling to allude to his superiors’ sex life in any more detail than that. 

Chakotay smiled suddenly, a broad grin lighting up his features.

“I just wanted to say thank-you. The Doctor’s explanation was technical, and surprisingly brief, and the information on the chip answered a number of questions on information the Doctor didn’t cover.” The humorous tones became more pronounced as Chakotay continued, “But Tom, really. Fluoro-green? Neon-pink? Black rib ticklers? What were you thinking?” 

“What was I thinking?” Tom fidgeted uncomfortably as he stalled for a minute. “I was thinking that the medical versions were plain and boring, and after studying the information recommended by the Doctor, the least I could do for you would be to try and inject a little…I dunno…fun…for you. I tried to imagine myself in your position, so to speak. You know, having to think about using this stuff every time you wanted to…”

He came to a halt, finding it hard to refer to having sex with Chakotay. Hang on, he thought. That wasn’t what he meant. Even in his thoughts, he was making Freudian slips. If it had been Harry, they would have been able to discuss matters together in any amount of detail, and there would have been no need for the data chip, but he never thought of having sex with Harry.

Chakotay watched the variety of expressions crossing Tom’s features with interest. 

“Well, thanks. I appreciate your concern.” He muttered something to himself, of which Tom only caught something about musical selections and ‘Bolero’.

Chakotay then changed the subject abruptly. “Two more things, Tom. Firstly, are you okay with not being at the helm for the foreseeable future?”

“Yes. Really, I am. To be frank, this bit of space is safe and boring, and I’m putting in extra time on developing some new holoprograms. Besides, what I’m now doing in Sickbay is fascinating, you know. Much better than the endless sterilizing of equipment I usually do. And I have a chance to do something that will make a difference.”

“That’s important to you, isn’t it? Making a difference?”

“Yes,” replied Tom fervently. He in turn changed the subject. He did not want to discuss his private personal redemption plan with others. Hell, it wasn’t even something he felt comfortable thinking about in detail with himself. “What else did you want to ask?”

“The Doctor is going to want to test us against samples of other crew members, isn’t he?”

Tom nodded.

“Level with me, Tom. What will happen if we are found to be allergic to the rest of the crew?”

“In all honesty? I don’t think that’s going to happen. And anyway, I believe we will find a treatment, if not a cure. Once there is an effective treatment, it won’t matter so much if it takes a little longer to find a cure.”

Tom stared straight into Chakotay’s eyes. He watched them darken, unaware his own eyes were darkening in response. Chakotay unconsciously reached out towards Tom, but pulled back as he came to his senses. He swore under his breath.

“What do I do in the mean time? Carry gloves with me, or wear them permanently in case something happens?”

“Reach for the forearm, like this, or clasp the shoulders, through the uniform,” suggested Tom, as he reached and clasped Chakotay’s forearm over his uniform sleeve. Chakotay’s frustration at not being able to touch spontaneously was almost palpable. Chakotay returned Tom’s grasp and squeezed in appreciation.

“The Doctor is going to use the crew health evaluations, which start tomorrow, to run computer allergy scans, so we should have a list of ‘safe’ crew soon. He’s planning to start with the Bridge crew and then those you and the captain come into most contact with. They won’t know anything about the extra tests the Doctor will be doing.”

“Well, at least I know there is already one person I can touch. Can I find out who it is now, or do I have to wait?”

Tom thought quickly. Chakotay would know soon enough that Tom was on the safe list He didn’t mind Chakotay knowing earlier, and he supposed he could square things with the Doctor if anything was said about breaching protocol. The two men were still in contact, where they were gently holding forearms, so Tom loosened his grip and slid his hand down to hold Chakotay’s. He tightened his grip again when the other man would have pulled away. He felt the man trembling and brought his other hand up to cover the back of Chakotay’s right hand, secretly rejoicing in the opportunity to touch and hold. He couldn’t help his feelings, as his love, and lust, welled perilously close to the surface. Tom tried to maintain a neutrally friendly demeanor, and concentrated on keeping the rate of his breathing even. He raised their clasped hands to face level.

“I thought you might have guessed as I wasn’t wearing gloves in Sickbay, and I thought you heard when the Doctor asked me about...”

Chakotay pointed to Tom with his free hand.

“You mean when the Doctor asked about ‘your’ sample vials?” he said, suddenly understanding the overheard comment.

“Uh huh. Do…do you mind?” Tom paused. “That it’s me, I mean?”

Chakotay looked at their hands. He placed his free left hand over Tom’s right hand, and slowly tightened his grip until the firmness felt enough. 

“No, Tom. I don’t mind,” stated Chakotay, and both men knew he spoke the truth.

The two men continued holding hands as they sat in silence. Chakotay sensed a warmth spreading throughout his system. His very cells tingled. This was right, so very right. The passing of time became meaningless.

“Sickbay to Lieutenant Paris.”

The EMH’s page returned them to the present. He sounded impatient.

“Paris here, Doctor.”

“You were due to start back here ten minutes ago. The next round of scans is in twenty minutes.”

“Sorry, Doc. On my way. Paris out.”

Tom reluctantly disengaged his hands.

“Tom…”

“I know. We need to talk about this.”

“I’m on beta shift until this is sorted out. Is my break okay for you?”

“Sure. Where?”

“My office?” offered Chakotay.

“I’d rather not. Would you care to come by my quarters for supper… umm…lunch?”

Chakotay smiled and nodded. 

“Supper is fine. See you in Sickbay.”

Chakotay reflected on Tom’s willingness to discuss what was happening, and contrasted it with Kathryn’s head-in-the-sand attitude. Right now, he felt a maelstrom of emotion. He really needed to discuss what was happening with someone. Who counsels the counselor? The wry thought was prominent. Maybe a session of meditation would bring some insight. There would be almost two hours after this next lot of scans. With that plan of action in place, Chakotay headed to Sickbay.

 

The captain was already seated with the Doctor when Chakotay entered. Her sleeve was rolled up and two lines of angry looking read lumps were visible, along with a row of smaller pinkish discolorations. She made a moue of distaste, and turned to Chakotay.

“How are you?”

Chakotay shrugged. “I’m keeping my mind on other things,” he replied, and rolled up his sleeve.

Only one row of the same angry red lumps was visible.

“Doctor.” 

“Yes, Captain?”

“Why do I have more of these lesions than the commander?” 

“Let me see your arm, Commander.”

The Doctor examined the single row of wheals with interest.

“Mr. Paris, what do you make of this?”

Tom moved in from his position beside the computer. He took a brief look, and reached for the tricorder. He ran a quick scan, and then uploaded the results straight onto the terminal he had been using to analyze the readings.

“Here, Doctor, look at this.”

Tom pointed to the screen.

“In the last two hours the response to the fourth set of samples has almost completely resolved, in that there are only a few small microcellular trace markers remaining. The second and third samples have developed a new set of trace markers, but there is no corresponding allergic reaction detectable, at least at this level of tests. The first sample now has a level four antigenic reaction on the cell surfaces and there is an indicator we will probably find changes at a DNA level; see here, and here.”

Tom paused to draw breath. His enthusiasm had come to the fore and there was little evidence of the often-resentful medical assistant to whom they had all become accustomed over the years.

“Most impressive, Mr. Paris. You may indeed have a future in the field of immunology. Let us continue with the next stage of the scans.” There was no trace of sarcasm in the Doctor’s voice as he considered the comparison of the test results displayed.

“Doctor.” The Captain’s tone was brusque as she interrupted. “Am I to understand that we have been tested with four sets of samples?”

“Yes, Captain. Standard research procedure requires the use neutral controls where possible.”

“Two sets of samples are mine and Commander Chakotay’s.”

“Of course. You are the two with the allergic reactions.”

“Then whose are the neutral controls? And why I am reacting to them and not the commander?”

“The neutral controls belong to two members of the crew. At this stage, I am unable to tell you why your reactions are different to the commander’s. That is why we are running continuous scans, so we can monitor the progress of your bodies’ reactions.” The Doctor remained calm.

“Whose. Are. The. Other. Samples?” Captain Janeway controlled her temper with difficulty. The earlier antihistamines had worn off and the multiple itches had returned with a vengeance.

“That is irrelevant to the testing.”

“Doctor, I hardly call being allergic to members of my crew irrelevant. What happens if I have to shake someone’s hand, or come in contact with him or her during a red alert situation? I cannot afford to develop red, itchy palms at a critical time.”

“Agreed. I had anticipated such a situation. Computer-screening scans will take place during the next round of medical evaluations, to begin tomorrow when the two hourly RAST scans will be complete. These scans are providing us with valuable information as to how your cells are physically reacting, and so we will be able to program the computer to extrapolate similar information, without having to resort to testing samples from everyone individually. I understood you wished this matter to remain private. A list of ‘safe’ crewmembers will be forwarded to you as soon as it is available.”

“That still does not negate the fact that the two people who provided the samples are aware of what is going on.”

“Not at all, Captain. One person is a member of my select group of Sickbay volunteers, who have agreed to provide various anonymous control samples on the occasions they are needed.”

Tom interrupted, “The other set is mine.” Before the Captain could comment, Tom continued, “Because I’m already here.”

“Scanning please. We are now a few minutes behind schedule,” said the Doctor, anxious not to have his experiments further interrupted. He hustled everyone into position and called for the first scan. 

Captain Janeway frowned as she watched the dark head and fair head bent over the other tricorder, discussing the findings in low tones. She was allergic to these men. They were not allergic to each other. Her arm burned and itched intolerably, and her head ached. She was unaware that she sighed deeply. 

The Doctor looked at the frown lines etched on the Captain’s forehead. The tricorder he was using for the scans also registered blood pressure and other standard physiologic measurements. Her blood pressure had risen since the last lot of tests.

“Please return in two hours.”

The Doctor gave his order as he administered the next dose of antihistamines; the captain’s hypospray also contained an analgesic and a mild tranquilizer.

 

~

 

Chakotay replicated a cup of tea and considered the results of his hour-long meditation. 

The physicality of the allergy he relegated to a small compartment of his mind as something he could not change. The Doctor and Tom were dealing with that; all he needed to do was turn up to Sickbay when requested, follow instructions, and abstain from physical contact with Kathryn until the allergy became treatable or cured.

Kathryn. She occupied a large portion of his thoughts. He’d loved her, and desired her, for a long time. Now she was his. She was intelligent, courageous, curious, incisive, ethical, beautiful, and graceful, had a dry sense of humor when she let it out, and was dedicated to getting her crew home. She was also stubborn, bitchy, controlling, and uncommunicative and did not like to show dependence. 

That was one of the things that were contributing to his frustration. In times of trouble, as well as good times, he’d expected a partner who shared, protected when the other needed, or leaned, knowing support would be provided. Kathryn didn’t want to talk, didn’t want to share in dealing with something that affected them both. The second frustrating thing was he liked to show his affection physically - touching, holding hands and so on. In a way, that was the most ironic thing about this allergy. She certainly didn’t have to worry about public displays of affection, inadvertent or otherwise just now. You could convey so much with touch. This brought him to the other person in his thoughts.

Tom. The sense of rightness he’d felt earlier when sitting here, holding Tom’s hand, washed over him again. He thought about the younger man. He was intelligent. Yes, he was not just an automaton with superior piloting abilities and a quirky interest in the twentieth century, but skilled in holoprogramming, engineering, both aeronautical and mechanical and conversant in any number of other areas. 

He was courageous and curious, both qualities demonstrated repeatedly in the Delta Quadrant. He was incisive at the helm and on the pool table in Sandrine’s, although not so noticeably in his relationships or when dealing with others. Chakotay realized the incisiveness surfaced at times when Tom was depending only on himself. 

Ethical. An interesting consideration. It had taken Chakotay a long time to come to terms with the fact Tom had not sold out the Maquis, and to realize there were lines Tom would not cross. Therefore, yes, Tom was ethical.

Beauty. Spirits, the man had that in spades. Tom had grace too, in all that he did. If he were honest with himself, he’d admit to being physically attracted to Tom from the moment he’d first laid eyes on him, but he’d been too involved with Maquis business, and Seska, to consider following up on his attraction. And then the attraction became a part of the background of his life, to be thought about, but never followed on through, and pushed further back as he pursued Kathryn instead. 

Tom’s sense of humor was multifaceted, certainly wicked, not always manifesting in appropriate times or places, and sometimes only appreciated after the event.

Could one say Tom was dedicated to getting the crew home? He certainly flew Voyager to the best of his ability, when he didn’t have much to look forward to back in the Alpha Quadrant, so there was dedication. 

Chakotay added loyalty to his mental list. Loyalty to the captain; the Jonas incident was proof of that. Loyalty to his friends, something Harry Kim could confirm. One more thought pushed its way to the forefront. Tom touched his friends and lovers in public. He was confident to hold hands, place an arm on a shoulder, give comfort or bestow a kiss.

On the other hand, the man was stubborn, argumentative, secretive and reckless. He had more enemies than friends among the crew. He knew which buttons to push, and sometimes pushed too hard or too often. He was also said to be superficial and shallow.

Chakotay slowly lowered his now empty cup to the table as he realized all the qualities he loved in Kathryn were present in Tom.

The voice of the computer reminded him it was time to attend Sickbay again, and still in slow motion, he left his quarters. He wasn’t sure how he felt about this revelation. He’d taken a long time to develop a good working relationship with Tom Paris, partially his own fault as he conceded he had his own share of blind stubbornness. Until two days ago, their friendship had been deepening slowly. Now it seemed to have leapt ahead as Chakotay had found Tom surprisingly easy to confide in over his current personal issues, and was looking forward to their further discussion this evening. The feeling of rightness settled around him comfortably, and he picked up speed. The sooner he reached Sickbay, the sooner this next round of scans could be completed.

The Doctor greeted Chakotay as soon as he entered and ushered him to his seat. Chakotay rolled his sleeve up without waiting to be asked. 

“Are there any new developments?” he enquired.

Tom looked over to the Doctor. He wanted to be the one give the good news. The Doctor nodded but before Tom could say anything, he suggested they wait for the captain to arrive.

“I take it there’s good news then,” said Chakotay.

“Good news?” Captain Janeway had entered in time to hear Chakotay’s remark.

“Yes, Captain. Good news. I shall allow Mr. Paris to tell you, as he was the one who has been running the tests on the various formulas. ”

“We think have been able to synthesize individual formulas for you both that will allow the body to develop secondary antigens, at least to sweat, tears and urine at this stage. The computer simulations have been successful. Now we need to test it on you. It’s not a cure but it is the first step in the treatment.”

“Normally I would prefer to wait until the RAST tests are complete before commencing treatment, however you have been receiving simple antihistamines during the testing with no side effects, and the sooner this is resolved, the better, so we will commence the trials immediately after these scans. I must ask you to return on a two hourly basis for a further six hours to monitor the progress of the drugs,” added the Doctor.

“Agreed. Do it.” The captain was seated, her sleeve rolled up, and sounding more like herself for the first time in quite a while.

“Lieutenant Paris, I must request you to return to Sickbay for the scans that will occur after the end of your shift.”

“I’ll stay on and process the results, rather than leave and come back. If that’s okay with you, Doc?” Tom was not unaware that he’d shocked everyone, including himself, with that answer. He smiled at the raised eyebrows.

“It seems the age of miracles is upon us. Your offer is accepted,” said the Doctor.

The test scans commenced. Chakotay found himself focusing on Tom’s scent, and he inhaled deeply. 

“Damn. Flares. Rescanning.”

Tom muttered to himself. There had been no flares two hours ago. He could not work out what they were. He grabbed the other tricorder he’d placed in readiness last time but not used.

Chakotay tried not to breathe too deeply and watched Tom’s hands instead. 

“Fuck. More flares.” 

Tom swore under his breath as he noted the time of the flares. The readings had been consistent with what was expected. The flares did not seem to be making any difference to the test results. Just to be on the safe side, Tom asked the Doctor to rescan Chakotay when he finished with the captain’s readings. There were no flares during the Doctor’s scans.

“We will now commence the first stage of the treatment.” 

The Doctor recorded his research entries in his officious tones and indicated Tom should administer the commander’s hypospray and rescan. 

“Please wait ten minutes when we will perform another set of scans, and then you are free for two hours.”

The Doctor turned to the captain and enquired as to her headache and other symptoms. He was pleased to see her blood pressure had returned to almost normal. He suggested a series of therapeutic massage treatments and was quite surprised not to receive any argument from her. She agreed to stay after the final set of two hourly scans that evening.

Tom uploaded the data from the tricorder with the first flares from that session. He turned the screen so he and Chakotay could study it together. 

“This is what you call a level one scan, isn’t it Tom?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Would it make any difference if the flares were during deeper scans? Could you read anything then?”

Tom called up the other data when the flares had occurred.

“Damn it, they are all in the first two levels.”

“I have a theory. When you do this next lot of scans, tell me before you commence the final ones.”

“Okay. Why?”

“I’ll tell you if my theory works.”

The Doctor announced it was time to begin the next lot of scans.

Chakotay concentrated on keeping his mind clear. 

“Level three,” said Tom steadily. There had been no flares so far. Chakotay inhaled deeply and once again concentrated on Tom’s scent.

“There’s a flare!” Tom’s voice rose with excitement, then as the flare dissipated, he continued, “Rescanning at level three.”

He looked at Chakotay, who was sitting with his eyes closed.

“Level four.”

This time Chakotay concentrated on the feeling of rightness he’d experienced when holding Tom’s hands.

“And more flares! Rescanning at level four.”

Chakotay opened his eyes. Something was happening to his body whenever he thought of Tom.

“So, what’s your theory Chakotay?” asked Tom with interest. “What did you do to make the flares?”

“Can I talk about it with you later, after you’ve had a chance to analyze the scans?”

Tom could see Chakotay was stunned at what had happened. He obviously needed a little time to process his thoughts. 

“Sure. See you then.”

“Captain, Commander,” said the Doctor urgently, “I must ask that you continue to use the latex barriers until further notice. There is still the risk of anaphylaxis developing from intermixing of blood, semen and vaginal secretions.”

They both nodded and left together. Captain Janeway headed back to the Bridge for the remainder of her shift, and Chakotay returned to his quarters.

 

~

 

Tom lay awake, staring into the dark. Chakotay had come and shared supper with Tom during his break. He’d explained just what he’d been doing that seemed to trigger the flares during the scans; he’d been thinking of Tom. Neither man could explain the phenomenon. Something had developed in Chakotay’s cells that recognized Tom physically and apparently on some mental level. The flares during the fourth set of scans had been accompanied by minute changes at the genetic level. These genetic changes were must be what were responsible for the absence of allergic reaction between the two of them. There were genetic changes to Captain Janeway as well, but the sequencing of her changes was different to the changes in Chakotay, and the alterations to her DNA had not been accompanied by any visible phenomena. Tom and the Doctor were still mapping the alterations in order to find a cure. 

They skirted around the sense of belonging they felt when in contact with each other, though each was aware the other felt something. Tom had been happy to just sit and talk, and hold hands. They had somehow assumed their earlier posture, facing each other and finding themselves in a four-handed clasp. 

Chakotay was adamant on one point. He did not want to discuss what was causing the flares with the Doctor or Captain Janeway just yet. Tom concurred and they agreed not to mention any future flares, as they did not seem to be affecting any of the readings. Chakotay would also try to keep his mind neutral during the scans. 

Tom was going to do one more thing, something he would keep to himself. He was going to perform the RAST test on himself with the same four sets of samples. Curiosity as to whether the allergy ran both ways was getting to him. Since he’d been working in Sickbay, he hadn’t actually come into physical contact with anyone other than Chakotay. He knew his shore leave would be in the third rotation - Chakotay had told him already when they’d discussed the timing of the remainder of the tests – so he could monitor his responses for almost five days.

 

~

 

Kathryn and Chakotay spent the next evening together, with the Doctor’s prophylactic devices. After some discussion with the Doctor during her massage session and a great deal of thought, Kathryn issued an invitation. They donned the gloves as a matter of course, managed to eat dinner, and even dance a little. They adjourned to the bedroom and Kathryn reluctantly retrieved an assortment of packets. They removed their own clothes and sat on the bed, naked except for the gloves. 

Chakotay commented awkwardly, “Damn, I feel like a teenager again, like it’s the first time and I’m not sure what to do.”

Kathryn flushed and nodded. “I agree. What do we do first?”

“Undo some of the packets, I suppose.”

Chakotay reached for one of the larger packages. It contained a selection of dental dams. He picked a bright pink one up and sniffed it cautiously.

“Strawberry.” 

Kathryn picked up one of the small foil wrapped packets and as she squeezed it, a tinny rendition of ‘Bolero’ filled the air. She raised her eyebrows and began to laugh.

As the atmosphere in the room lightened a little, Chakotay was reminded who had done this for them and mentally blessed Tom for his perspicacity.

After undoing a few more packets and laying aside the condoms, they decided to start with the basics and try kissing with the dams first. Chakotay kept strawberry pink one while Kathryn selected a cream-colored one that held the scent of vanilla, and had the added advantage of contrasting nicely with Chakotay’s bronze skin. 

With some experimentation, they discovered that mouth-to-mouth contact needed only one dam, not held too firmly so that tongues could move, and that keeping the nostrils free to breathe required some concentration. It was all too frustrating, so Chakotay moved down to explore a breast. Here, they had to maintain some tension on the dam had and he did not have a free hand to knead the other breast or tweak a nipple. They tried it with Kathryn holding the latex to provide the tension but that was equally unsuccessful. They joked about replicating a latex bra to free up their hands. Kathryn was marginally more successful using the dam over Chakotay’s chest due to his male anatomy having more muscle and less fat there, but he was still going to need some sort of bra arrangement too. Kathryn laughed hysterically at the weak joke, trying to break the mounting tension. She hiccupped over the joke’s natural progression to a full body covering, which was obviously going to be needed if they were going to use the standard missionary position ever again, and the two of them tried to continue, making up fantasies involving leather and rubber fetishes. 

Chakotay handed Kathryn one of the female condoms. She took it and then dropped it on the bed. Covering her face with her hands, she began to weep.

“I can’t do this,” she cried.

Chakotay awkwardly patted her shoulder, all he could do with the gloves, and after a few minutes, she stopped, sniffed a few times, and began to apologize.

“I’m so sorry. I just can’t do this, and what’s more, I don’t want to.” Kathryn realized what she’d said and turned a horrified gaze to Chakotay. “Oh God. That wasn’t what I meant to say.”

He stared at her, feeling the hurt knife through him. He sat in silence, waiting for her to continue. She’d spent a lot of time refusing to talk to him and he didn’t want to make things easy for her. Sure enough, less than two minutes passed before she began trying to explain. Her well-ordered scientific mind deserted her briefly and she rambled on about how important Chakotay’s friendship was to her. She was still uncomfortable with the public displays of affection that he seemed to need, that even though she realized he needed more from her than what she felt comfortable giving, couldn’t he be content with just the wanting, and she was ‘The Captain’ after all, with a responsibility to the whole crew.

Chakotay listened carefully to all she had to say. He’d had a lot of time to think about what had happened in the three months of their relationship. In all that time, there had been something he’d never heard. He leaned forward.

“You don’t really love me,” he said. “That’s why you don’t want to try.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“It’s true though, isn’t it? Kathryn, you’ve never said the words. You have never told me you love me.” Chakotay practically spat. His legendary stoicism deserted him.

“I…I never lied to you, Chakotay.” 

“No. You didn’t. I should have realized. I guess I was so caught up in loving you that I never noticed until now you only told me you wanted me. You’re right, I do want more than you’re prepared to give. You know what you need? ” He narrowed his eyes. “You need someone who’s content with just a sexual relationship. Someone who doesn’t want or need to be shown affection. Someone who doesn’t make messy declarations of love, or want to share the other parts of your life. What you want is a fuck-buddy. Think about it.”

Kathryn gaped. Chakotay’s bluntness was unexpected.

He stood and peeled off the gloves before beginning to dress, and then gathered up the unopened foil packets. “I’ll return these to the Doctor, and let him know we won’t be needing them. I’ll also organize for us to report to Sickbay at different times. ”

He said good-bye and left. 

Unable to settle in his quarters, Chakotay headed for his favorite observation lounge. He stood at the window, staring out with unseeing eyes. The sharp spikes of hurt that had triggered his outburst had blunted and faded. Now he mostly felt sad and he mourned the passing of something that had been special to him. 

The door chimed and Tom entered. He padded over to the older man and touched his shoulder.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

“I broke things off with Kathryn,” said Chakotay without turning round.

“I’m sorry, Cha,” said Tom sincerely. He turned Chakotay to face him and hugged him gently. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Tom leant back and looked into Chakotay’s eyes. He read the sadness and remnants of hurt there. Without waiting for an answer, he called for a privacy lock and then Tom led Chakotay over to one of the couches and pushed him down onto it. He moved behind and began to massage the knotted up shoulders. His fingers gradually worked all the kinks out and eventually Chakotay gave a great shuddering sigh. Tom came back round to the front and joined his friend. He settled into the corner and turned sideways, then pulled Chakotay’s back against his chest. His free hand stroked a muscular arm and he was rewarded with another sigh and a snuggling motion as Chakotay made himself comfortable.

“Better?”

“Uh huh. She doesn’t love me, she never has,” the words started tumbling cathartically out of Chakotay’s mouth. “I didn’t realize till now she never said it. She always told me how important our friendship was to her. Well, her friendship was important to me too. She accepted my spiritual beliefs…I even helped her find her animal guide. All those months of flirting…then when we finally came together, she never mentioned love. She never said she loved me and I was so blind I didn’t notice.”

Tom kept up the rhythmical stroking as Chakotay talked himself out. As he listened sympathetically, another part of his brain reveled in holding the older man and rejoiced that he was free. Tom hoped Chakotay would one day want to explore what was happening between them as much as he did. 

The silence that fell between them was comfortable. Gradually Tom’s hand stilled. Chakotay hauled himself into a sitting position. Tom did the same and stamped his feet to get some feeling back into them before rising and going over to the replicator. He came back with two mugs of tea.

“No coffee for you, Tom?”

“No. My grandmother swore by tea as the universal panacea for times of emotional upheaval. She was right, as always.”

“I’m sorry I unloaded all of that onto you. Thanks for listening. But how did you know I was here?”

“Couldn’t sleep, and just got the urge to come.” Tom’s reply was laconic, as he scratched his arm.

Something about the way Tom was rubbing the fabric of his shirt over his skin attracted Chakotay’s attention. He suddenly reached forward and pushed up Tom’s sleeve, exposing a row of angry-looking red raised marks. Chakotay raised his eyebrows.

“Why, Tom?”

“I had to know. It’s a reciprocal allergy. That’s from Janeway’s sample, the faint marks are from Sam Wildman’s set, and there’s no response to yours.” Tom paused, and then slowly added, “The flares are the same. When I think of you during the scans, the flares happen. I’ve got DNA changes too.”

“What did the Doctor say to this?”

“He doesn’t know. I didn’t tell him I was going to do it.”

“You’ll have to tell him.”

“I know. I’ll be telling him as soon as I get to Sickbay.”

“At least you know there’s someone else on board you are not allergic to.”

“How do you figure that?”

“Well, the two of you haven’t ended up with itchy rashes in awkward places and had to live through the embarrassment of being instructed in the use of condoms and stuff by the Doctor,” replied Chakotay gruffly.

Tom flushed and stared down at his arm for a moment before looking back up at Chakotay. 

“I don’t actually know that. I’m not in a relationship right now.” He continued derisively, “I haven’t even got a fuck-buddy at the moment to worry about.”

Chakotay gave a sudden snort of laughter and, at Tom’s enquiring look, explained, “I told Kathryn what she needed was a fuck-buddy, but I didn’t think. If she’s allergic to everyone, that’s out of the question.”

“You told Captain Janeway she needed a fuck-buddy?” Tom’s eyes practically bulged out of his head.

“I think it was a case of ‘many a true word’ though this was spoken in hurt and anger, and not in jest, but yes, I did.”

“Well it can’t be any of the alpha shift command staff, as we screened all of them with the computer yesterday. I may as well tell you now, as you’ll know in a few hours. Her DNA reacted to all of them in some degree, though none as badly as the reaction to the two of us.” A sudden thought struck Tom and he sniggered. “If she keeps going at this rate, there will only be one person on board left that will be of an acceptable rank that she will be able to...”

“Who…hang on, you don’t mean...?”

“Yes. Our beloved Emergency Medical Hologram! No chance of an allergic reaction there.”

Chakotay couldn’t help joining in with Tom’s laughter. He sobered abruptly and asked, “What about me?”

“Your DNA seems to set up a trigger for an initial allergic reaction, but the areas where the alterations have occurred cause antibodies to form to deal with the cascade reaction. It’s weird. This is now happening much faster than the response time to Sam Wildman’s test sample, and I would venture to guess if we tried another RAST test with different samples, your body would produce the antibodies fast enough there wouldn’t be any visible wheals, at least to sweat, tears and urine. I still wouldn’t stop the hypos just yet as I could be wrong.”

“My DNA certainly seems keen on one thing.”

“What?” Tom wasn’t thinking clearly as he asked.

“You.”

“Chakotay…”

“It’s okay, Tom. I’ve only just broken up with Kathryn. I’m not looking to begin another relationship straight away, and I wouldn’t think you’d want someone on the rebound.”

“No, but we can be friends, good friends, right?”

“Oh yes, Tom. You’ve been a good friend to me just now, in fact, everything I could want in a friend.”

Chakotay stood. “I’m going back to my quarters. You’re due in Sickbay in a couple of hours. Do you think you can get some more sleep?”

“Yeah. What about you? Are you sure you’re okay?” Tom stood also.

“I’m okay, thanks to you.” He grasped Tom’s hand, and they found themselves forming the four-handed clasp. “See you in Sickbay.”


	4. Soul Mates

Voyager was in orbit around Lineas. Captain Janeway had established contact with the President of the Northern Lineal Alliance and shore leave would commence the following morning. President Justo organized an efficient program, whereby trade negotiations would be concluded at the end of the first morning and the formal social gathering would take place on the fourth evening, leaving the rest of the time free for the crew to enjoy a variety of activities. Lineas had a number of useful minerals that had not been available from the Resna’viaans, which made the Engineering teams ecstatic. B’Elanna Torres and Joe Carey were to head the negotiation team from Voyager. Justo announced he would assign staff to any crew who would be interested in touring any of the educational, medical or cultural facilities for an exchange of information. Meanwhile, there were no particular taboos that would hinder anyone from having a good time at the markets or on the beach.

Three days later Kathryn presented to Sickbay for her allergy treatment, prior to leaving for the planet. The Doctor had persuaded to spend the first day of her shore leave relaxing on the beach, and much of the strain from the previous two weeks had dissipated. Her body still had not begun to manufacture its own antibodies but the daily hyposprays had eliminated the itch and kept her allergic reactions under control. The RAST test reaction sites had finally faded to two rows of faint pink dots. The computer generated DNA testing confirmed she had apparently developed varying degrees of allergy to most of the crew, but none as severe as her reactions to her first officer or chief helmsman. She had persuaded the Doctor to forgo any further RAST tests using samples from the different species among the crew for the time being. The reactions to the rest of the crew were mostly minor, and did not seem to be triggered by sweat, so using the hyposprays meant she had no need to wear the protective gloves when dealing with the crew. Today she was spending the day with the president as her personal tour guide.

“Doctor, I understand you’ll be visiting the medical research station this afternoon.”

“Yes, a Doctor Dilippe, head of the Alien Biology department, is a specialist in immunology. As we are no further forward developing a cure for the condition experienced by you, Commander Chakotay and Lieutenant Paris, I am hoping his team will have some new treatments or techniques we can try.”

“Then I’ll see you there. Justo has included that department on the itinerary of places he insisted I must see that he is taking me around today.”

“That will be useful, especially if they are able to assist us.”

 

~

 

Later that afternoon…

“Captain Janeway, may I present the Director of Alien Biology, Doctor Asten Dilippe. Doctor Dilippe, Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation star ship Voyager.”

“Captain Janeway, welcome to Northern Lineas’ largest scientific and medical research centre.”

“Thank you, Doctor Dilippe, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Captain Janeway, I understand from your Doctor that you and several of your crew have developed an intraspecies allergy for no apparent reason that you can determine.” 

Asten Dilippe was single minded; when he had heard about the problem experienced by three of Voyager’s most senior staff he was keen to be the one to solve it, and had requested all the pertinent data be sent to him for study, prior to conversing directly with Voyager’s Doctor.

“That’s correct, Doctor. We were hoping you would be able to provide insight into some different directions for our research to take, or that you have come across something similar before and know of a cure.”

“In fact, Captain, if you would answer a few questions for me, to clarify a few things, I may be able to help you.”

“You know of a cure?”

“It’s possible. Please, come to my office. President Justo, will you excuse us for a short while?”

“I will return in one hour. Will that be sufficient, Doctor?”

“Of course. Of course. Right this way, please.” He led Captain Janeway down a corridor to his office.

“Your Doctor says your symptoms began a little over two weeks ago.”

“That’s correct.”

“I understand you visited the Resna’viaans at that time.”

“Yes. Commander Chakotay and I went to the surface for trade negotiations.”

“Ah, yes. I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting your husband.”

There was a small choking sound, which Captain Janeway hastily turned into a cough.

“I’m sorry, Doctor. Commander Chakotay is my first officer, not my husband.”

“That’s not possible.”

“I assure you, it’s the truth.”

“But the Ceremony of Coalescence…Captain, the Prime Resna would have made it clear to you that no off-worlders were permitted on the planet during the Ceremony of Coalescence.”

“Shore leave was forbidden for the crew, but I was given permission to attend in the company of my partner, who was, at that time, Commander Chakotay.”

“Oh dear, oh dear. I can assume that the commander is one of those afflicted with the allergy?”

“Yes, he is. Along with my chief helmsman.”

Doctor Dilippe made several tsking noises and shook his head, clearly agitated by the captain’s revelations.

“Think back for me please, Captain. What was the exact term the Resna’viaans used when telling you who was permitted on the planet’s surface?”

“We could only send down a couple who were married or bonded as life partners. If I recall correctly, the term they used was ‘resh-viah’.”

“Why then, may I ask, did you and the commander go down if you were not married? You were clearly informed of the requirement.”

“As I mentioned, at that time the commander was my partner. Whilst we had not made the commitment of marriage, we were in a formal relationship. I saw that as qualifying as a life partner.”

“I think I understand. You had not been actually bonded.”

“Correct.”

“That still does not explain how your chief helmsman came to be affected. He would have had to be on the planet’s surface during the ceremony…”

“But he was,” interrupted Kathryn. “He wasn’t at the ceremony, but he was on the planet’s surface.”

“Why?”

“He piloted our shuttle. Some unusually dense ion storms prevented us transporting down. He stayed at the transport terminus until we were ready to leave.”

“Captain, permit me to request the presence of Commander Chakotay and your pilot…?”

“Lieutenant Paris.”

“Thank you. Lieutenant Paris. I need to ask them some questions, and hopefully have all of you identify something for me, then I will be able to provide you with some answers.”

Captain Janeway immediately contacted Voyager and requested the two men be beamed directly to her coordinates. Within a few minutes, they were present and after introductions, Dr Dilippe led them to one of the research laboratories. The EMH was already there, and conferring earnestly with one of Dr Dilippe’s assistants.

“Lieutenant Paris, did you consume any of the native food while you were on the surface?”

“Yes. One of the Viaan aides brought me a selection of things late in the evening. They were some of the dishes served at the banquet. He said one of my people had asked that I be provided with supper.”

“That’s right. I thought you might appreciate the opportunity to sample the local cuisine,” said Chakotay.

Doctor Dilippe waved over one of his assistants.

“Doctor Menga, would you call up the visuals of the Resna’viaan Coalescent Ceremonial dishes?”

He turned to the Voyager crew and said, “My colleague, Doctor Barday Menga. Now, please look at these images and tell me if you remembered sampling any of these.”

The first picture showed something that resembled a scarlet capsicum, stuffed with a fluffy grain. The second was of a sliced fungus casserole, served inside tiny edible gourds. The third and final picture showed another type of fungus that looked like yellow grilled mushrooms.

Chakotay spoke first.

“I had some of all of those. I remember the yellow mushrooms in particular. They were delicious, but we were unable to obtain any of them as part of the trade.”

“I’m not sure about the second one, there were so many courses, but I remember the yellow mushrooms too.” Kathryn studied the pictures closely.

Doctor Menga turned to Tom. “How about you, sir?”

“They brought me out two platters of various things, mostly a small sample of each type, but yes, I had the yellow mushrooms too. I remember those as they got me an extra serving when I asked for it, and I had some of each of the others.”

“There’s your answer,” announced Doctor Dilippe. He looked at the confused expressions around him. “Your allergy is a message from the Resna’viaan Gods. You partook of the Ceremony of Coalescence and the Gods have spoken. You are truly blessed.”

“I’m sorry, Doctor Dilippe, but I fail to understand how an allergic reaction of the magnitude we have suffered can be a blessing.” Kathryn was adamant as she spoke, and unconsciously rubbed her arm.

“The Resna’viaan Gods are strange to us. They choose to demonstrate their approval of various significant decisions made by their people, not with a personal manifestation and voiced approval, but by a physical blessing, or otherwise. When we first began trading with the Resna’viaans around five generations ago, some of our people were afflicted with the same symptoms your Doctor’s report showed you experienced. We spent many hours researching the phenomenon. We have determined that consumption of these three dishes sets up a chain of microcellular responses that cause minute alterations to the genetic structure.”

“But it’s wrong to interfere with a person’s DNA, their very being, especially without their permission. They are being altered against their will…” Kathryn’s tone became increasingly sharp.

“Not exactly,” Dilippe interrupted. “Firstly, you must remember, this IS a Resna’viaan Ceremony and those who are present know what they are participating in. Secondly, you were there supposedly with your bonded life partner. If you had been, there would have not been any allergic reaction, quite the contrary in fact. Thirdly, we have found the actual genetic alterations that take place in a bonded couple allow what we call soul-cell recognition to take place. The potential for this was always there. It just becomes unlocked, if you will.”

“If I may make a comment here?” the EMH interrupted, “The concept of cellular recognition was first postulated on Earth as early as the late twentieth century. A Doctor Lipton headed the team. His research was primarily on cellular vibration and he was responsible for the development of the earliest regenerators. He also found empirical evidence of cellular recognition between mother and child over distances of ten kilometers. One of his team had begun work on the theory that cellular recognition between non-related persons, specifically those who believed they were in love, or had found their ‘soul mate’, was also possible, although that line of research was unable to attract sponsorship, as the medical profession were more interested in the regenerators, so it was never followed through.” 

The Doctor turned to Captain Janeway. “So you see, there is no alteration per se, just an allowance of what should have happened on its own.”

“But that means Chakotay and Tom Paris are…”Kathryn choked, as she was unable to say the words. Feelings warred within her: dull anger, embarrassment, disbelief, and frustration…She clamped them down. She would go on; she was ‘The Captain’. 

“Soul-mates.” The EMH beamed at the two men. “Lieutenant Paris, I now have an explanation for the flares on the scans, thanks to Doctor Menga. It is simply the visual display of the energy release during the initial DNA recognition sequence. It occurs during the first dozen or so times of the meeting between the two sets of DNA. The chemicals found in the red capsicum-like vegetable trigger it.”

“But what about the allergic reaction between the Captain and the two of us?” asked Tom.

“I can answer that,” said Dr Menga. “It was partially the fact that you are not soul-mates, and the Gods were letting you know, and partially the simple fact you are not Resna’viaan. In the Resna’viaan, the reaction is much different. You must realize only a small number of Resna’viaans take part in the ceremony during any one season, and not everyone on the planet chooses to take part. As it is a God’s Blessing, and will reveal if you have made the wrong decision as to your soul-mate, you can understand that it is not for everyone.”

“And Captain Janeway’s reaction to the rest of the crew?” Tom couldn’t resist asking.

“The rest of the crew had not consumed any of the ceremonial dishes, for which we may be thankful. As we have now determined via the computer simulations, Captain Janeway has no soul-mate among the crew, and it is possible she would have died from anaphylactic shock had any other crew partaken and set up the DNA recognition sequences.” The EMH’s tone was grave. 

Doctor Dilippe joined in. “The good news is, we can provide you with a more efficient treatment that will provide Captain Janeway with longer term antibodies. It will only need to be administered on a ninety-day basis, instead of your own current treatment that has to be administered daily. I will provide you with all of the details for synthesis of the drug.” 

“Asten, I should talk to Commander Chakotay and Lieutenant Paris. There are some things they need to know.” Menga spoke urgently.

“Yes. Yes. I had forgotten. Take them into the side office.” Dilippe waved them away and turned back to the captain and the EMH. “Come. I will go over the details of this treatment.”

Doctor Menga led the two men into the small room, and indicated they should take a seat.

“Your Doctor has given me a little of the background of the relationships between the three of you as he understands it, but I need to clarify a few things. Forgive me if I have any of the details incorrect. I need tell you a little more about what the Ceremony of Coalescence actually involves, and as I have experienced it, I am the best one to discuss this with you.”

“You have a soul-mate? That you bonded with via this ceremony?” Tom was deeply interested.

“Yes. My soul-mate is Dennatak. We bonded five years ago. First, I think, the remainder of the ceremony. The meal has been consumed. The couple then attends the temple. They face one another and clasp right hands, repeating vows declaring their love. There are no set words, each tells the other of things that are important to them. It is quite individual. They then place their left hands over the other’s right hand, in a four handed clasp.”

Both Tom and Chakotay started at that and turned to each other, smiles breaking over their faces. 

Menga noticed their reaction. “Is there something the matter?” he asked.

“We’ve been spending a lot of time, umm, holding hands like that,’ said Chakotay.

“It just felt…right,” added Tom.

Menga smiled. “It does, doesn’t it? It’s symbolic, to indicate that you will provide support and strength to your other half in times of need and that if you need support and strength, the other will be there for you. They unclasp their hands and the temple guardian makes a small nick in their left wrists. Now, a single tear from each is mixed together with a drop of blood from each, along with a small amount of saliva and a scraping of skin cells. This is then pressed back to the cut.”

“The RAST test. The procedure is almost the same,” exclaimed Tom, unable to stop himself from interrupting.

“Your Doctor explained the RAST test to me. I understand it is not something often used. He did not mention why it was used on this occasion.”

“I am training to be a medical assistant. This was the first time that any of the crew had such an extreme allergic reaction to anything. Our scanners usually detect potential allergens and neutralize them where appropriate. Anything they can’t neutralize, we place on a list of banned substances. Hence the Doctor thought it was a good opportunity for me to learn this procedure, in case we needed to utilize it again in the future,” explained Tom.

“Thank you. Now back to the ceremony. The four handed clasp is resumed and the temple guardian speaks the words of the Gods’ blessing. The couple enters seclusion for a period of sixty hours and they consummate their bonding physically, to share their personal essence and complete the recognition process.” Doctor Menga paused, and enquired, “Do either of you have any questions at this point?”

“I do.” Tom spoke up. “Are we telepathic now?”

“Is your species naturally telepathic?”

“No.”

“Then you will not become telepathic.”

“Then how is it that I am sometimes aware of how Chakotay feels?”

“That can be explained,” said Doctor Menga. “Your own Doctor pointed out that in your planet’s history, research had been started on the cellular recognition between soul mates. This is what you are experiencing. It is more akin to empathy. I must tell you that you will know when your soul-mate dies in this life.”

Chakotay nodded, and then asked, “What happens if any part of the ceremony is not completed?” 

“I regret to tell you I do not know. It has been so long since anyone from our planet has been in such a situation and the data we have accumulated has mostly dealt with developing the antigen. I do not know if we ever had an unacknowledged pair of soul-mates take part in the ceremony. It was usually those not meant to be together and had been to the Resna’viaan home world who developed the allergy. For them, we developed the treatment. Now we only visit at other times in the year, unless we have a couple that wish to take part in the Ceremony of Coalescence. 

“Dennatak has a theory. He is one of the Lineal equivalents of the Resna’viaan temple guardians and he performs the Lineal bonding ceremony on the new soul mates when they return, so they may live within accordance of our marriage laws. He believes that as the Gods have determined the soul mates, they will find each other and the way will become clear for some form of bonding to take place. These are not cruel Gods. I believe him.”

“Would Dennatak be able to complete the ceremony for us? If we wanted it completed?” 

Chakotay didn’t look at Tom as he asked, but moved closer and grasped Tom’s hand, squeezing it gently. Tom’s jaw dropped and he stared at Chakotay.

“Do you not have someone on board Voyager who would perform the binding ceremony of your culture?”

“We do, but there is a small problem. Normally Captain Janeway performs the marriages but in light of our recent break-up and the fact that she will have to come to terms with the fact Tom and I are meant to be together, I would not feel comfortable with her finalizing our bonding. It is within our regulations for us to be legally joined in an off-world ceremony that complies with the laws of that world.”

Tom tugged at Chakotay’s hand. He swallowed several times and stammered, “You…you want to complete the bonding? With me?”

“Who else would I want to complete it with other than my soul-mate?” answered Chakotay softly. He turned to Menga. “May we have a few minutes alone, please?”

“Certainly.” Doctor Menga left the two men alone. He hadn’t missed the single tear trickling from Tom’s eye.

Chakotay stood and drew Tom up to stand facing him.

“Tom…I…the last three days…we’ve talked and slain a lot of dragons during the last three days. Kathryn, B’Elanna, the Maquis, but I haven’t actually told you how I feel about you.”

“Wait, Chakotay. Tell me at the bonding ceremony.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. If you’ll wait too, I’ll tell you how I feel about you at the same time. It will make it really special.”

“Do I have to wait for this?” asked Chakotay, bringing up Tom’s hands so he could kiss them gently, his brown eyes sparkling with happiness and something else. 

“Not likely…waited long enough,” mumbled Tom against Chakotay’s mouth, and there was no need for any more talking.

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dr Lipton’s research on the vibrational energy of cells, and the mother-child cellular recognition is genuine, he just never mentioned anything about regenerators or soul mates.


End file.
